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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Government prepares to repatriate OFWs from Italy

Government prepares to repatriate OFWs from Italy

Published Apr 22, 2020 12:00 am
By Roy Mabasa The Philippine government is chartering a Philippine Airlines flight from Italy to Manila to repatriate a still undetermined number of distressed Filipinos affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. DFA Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido Dulay (Philippine Embassy / MANILA BULLETIN) DFA Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido Dulay (Philippine Embassy / MANILA BULLETIN) The flight will cost an estimated US$450,000 or about P23 million. In a tweet on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Protection Brigido Dulay said the payment for the chartered flight will be drawn from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ multi-billion assistance-to-nationals fund. “To stranded or distressed overseas Filipinos in Italy and nearby countries, DFA is mounting a repatriation flight to bring you home. The US$450k (P23M) charter costs c/o our Assistance to Nationals Fund,” Dulay said in his tweet. When sought for details on the planned repatriation from Italy, DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez said the Philippine Embassy in Rome and the Consulate in Milan are still determining the number of Filipinos who are interested to be repatriated. Most of those who were earlier repatriated from Italy were seafarers or crewmembers of COVID-19-stricken cruise ships. Overall, the DFA has assisted in the repatriation of around 18,000 overseas Filipinos from all over the world since February this year, consisting of 14,777 seafarers and around 3,800 land-based workers.
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