The number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned home and since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has breached the 800,000 mark, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

Citing records from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said a total of 809,374 OFWs have been repatriated as of Sunday, Nov. 28, after undergoing quarantine protocols and provided assistance by the government.

According to Bello, most of the migrant workers who have returned have been displaced by the ongoing health crisis as restrictions due to the pandemic crippled world economies.

Based on a recent report of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the pandemic sent over 125 million workers unemployed worldwide.

"Many of our OFWs became helpless when the pandemic struck and so the government launched a massive repatriation drive never done before," Bello said.

Under the program, OFWs were brought back to the country via chartered flights sponsored by the government and underwent quarantine and COVID-19 testing upon arrival.

"Once cleared, our OFWs were transported home to their respective provinces," Bello added.

OWWA's data also showed that the period of Nov. 15 to Dec. 12 last year recorded the highest number of repatriated Filipino migrant workers which totaled 56,925.

"This year, the highest was for the period October 17 to November 13 with 45,703 OFWs returning to their own families, while the lowest was on November 25 with 1,622 migrant workers," he said.

The labor chief likewise vowed to continue its repatriation program for beleaguered OFWs, especially in time with the holiday season.

"As long as we have migrant workers who want to go home but can't do so because of difficulties due to the pandemic, we will continue the repatriation program," he said.