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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider More overseas Filipinos returning home — DFA

More overseas Filipinos returning home — DFA

Published Aug 29, 2020 09:21 pm

Over 153,000 back with 8,329 more due this week

By Betheena Unite and Leslie Aquino

More than 153,000 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated in the country with 8,329 more Filipinos arriving this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday, August 29.

(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

The new arrivals this week brought the total number of returning overseas Filipinos to 153,124.

Of the total repatriates, 57,595 of them or 37.6 percent are sea-based while 95,529 or 62.4 percent are land-based.

“While commercial flights from various countries remain limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DFA was able to facilitate 39 special commercial repatriation flights from the Middle East, Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific,” the Foreign Affairs department said.

Overseas Filipinos from countries where there are currently no direct flights to the Philippines such as Kenya, Peru, Israel, Russia, Turks & Caicos, Iraq, and Egypt were also brought back home.

The agency also said that this long weekend, three DFA-chartered flights will arrive in the country from Doha, Qatar; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. These flights will bring home more than 1,000 distressed overseas Filipinos.

“The DFA tirelessly works to facilitate more repatriation flights in September through close coordination with its Foreign Service Posts as well as with its partner government agencies in the country,” the department said.

Filipinos abroad, who wish to seek repatriation assistance, are advised to contact the nearest embassy or consulate in their area. 

173,088 OFWs sent home — DOLE

The government has so far sent home a total of 173,088 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to their respective provinces as of Aug. 29, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported Sunday.

Administrator Hans Cacdac of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in his report to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the month of August had 55,709 OFW returnees making their homecoming after they tested negative for COVID-19.

According to DOLE, all those listed OFWs were provided with temporary accommodation and other assistance while waiting for their COVID test results.

OWWA arranged the transportation for their safe return to the provinces.

The government has been providing quarantine accommodation, food, and other assistance to repatriated OFWs since May.

President Duterte approved the release of ₱5 billion under Bayanihan 1 law to OWWA in June for the repatriation and assistance to returning OFWs.

The Labor department said more COVID-affected OFWs are set to benefit from their one-time cash aid with the release of an initial ₱400 million from
the ₱1-billion additional fund set aside for the Abot Kamay and Pagtulong (AKAP) program.

DOLE said so far ₱2.492 billion has been disbursed benefiting 243,326 displaced OFWs who were either still on-site or those already repatriated.

The assistance fund has a ₱2.5-billion allocation also from the emergency Bayanihan law.

With P1 billion augmentation fund, DOLE is looking at extending assistance to additional 100,000 OFWs who will benefit from AKAP.

The $200 or ₱10,000 aid program had processed and approved 280,253 requests for assistance from both land-based and sea-based workers. Total aid requests received by DOLE foreign offices and OWWA stood at 617,431 as of Saturday.

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