The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has achieved another unfortunate milestone in terms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic's impact on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

DOLE Information and Publication Service (IPS) Director Rolly Francia bared during a virtual press briefing Monday, Aug. 16 that the number OFWs repatriated by the Philippine government since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 has breached the 650,000-mark.

"As of this morning po, umabot na po sa ang ating mga kababayang OFWs na bumalik mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo...Nasa piling na sila ng kanilang mga pamilya matapos po silang mag-undergo ng quarantine, testing, at matulungan ng ating pamahalaan (As of this morning, 650,913 of our OFW compatriots have come home from different parts of the globe...they are now with their families after undergoing quarantine, testing, and receiving help from our government)," he said.

It was last July 5 when the returning OFWs reached an excess of 600,000.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive displacement among Filipino migrant workers abroad since last year.

The quarantine hotel accommodation, food, and transportation needs of the returning OFWs are being shouldered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). The OWWA is an attached agency of DOLE, which is led by Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said in last week's virtual press briefing that he expects the return of 180,000 more OFWs up the end of December 2021. "Sa tingin ko, at least mga 180,000 pa ang maaaring umuwi lalo na Kapaskuhan (I think at least 180,000 more will come home, especially with the upcoming Christmas season)."

Cacdac said that OWWA's funds are enough to cover for the returning OFWs needs up to mid-September. As such, he said Secretary Bello has requested from the national government a supplemental budget of P7.5 billion to cover their expenses for the rest of the year.

"That's for food transport and hotel quarantine accommodation...70 percent of that will go to hotel quarantine facilities," he said.

Adding to OWWA's woes is the lengthened mandatory quarantine period for the returning OFWs, which is now 14 days. It had previously gone down to seven days.

More days in a quarantine hotel mean higher costs for the OWWA.

DOLE had previously sought the understanding of quarantine hotels--which range from budget hotels to five-star hotels--for the delayed payments in connection with the accommodation of OFWs.