More than 200 overseas Filipinos in Macau recently returned to the Philippines through the government's repatriation program, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
Through the help of the Philippine Consulate General in Macau, 203 Filipinos arrived in the country on Feb. 16.
Among those who were repatriated are three wheelchair-bound passengers who were recently hospitalized in Macau.
All three were assisted by the Consulate during their hospitalization, the DFA said.
It was the 27th repatriation of Filipinos from Macau which brought the total repatriated nationals from Macau since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) to 5,355.
These are individuals who were "negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," the DFA added.
Philippine Consul General to Macau Porfirio M. Mayo Jr. led the Consulate’s Team at the airport to assist passengers on the flight. He renewed the Consulate’s commitment to continue with its repatriation program until regular commercial flights to the Philippines resume.
“Magpapatuloy po ang repatriation program ng Konsulado para sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Macau (The repatriation program of the Consulate for all our fellowmen here in Macau will continue),” Mayo said.
Mayo added that those who intend to return to the Philippines are requested to register their details at the Consulate’s online registry at https://tinyurl.com/repatMacau.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola disclosed that as of Feb. 18, a total of 457,814 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated to the Philippines from various foreign countries.
Of this, 105,632 are seafarers while 352,182 are land-based overseas Filipinos. The massive repatriation program began in February 2020 when COVID-19 started hitting globally.