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Over 165,000 OFWs now home

Philippines | National

Over 165,000 OFWs now home

By Leslie Ann Aquino

More than 165,000 overseas Filipino workersÂ have already been transported to their respective provinces.

(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) released Tuesday revealed that as of August 25, a total of 165, 223 OFWsÂ were sent to their home regions with the latest batch, consisting of 1,715 OFWs, returning home August 24.

The government started transporting OFWs en masse in May.Â

The breakdown of which are as follows:Â May 15- 24 (8,922);Â May 25-31 (25,002); June 1-7(8,902); June 8-14 (7,279); June 15-21(6,782); June 22-28 (10,231); June 29-July 5 (9,113); July 6-12Â (10,163); July 13-19 (10,501); July 20-26 (11,546); July 27-August 2 (11,630) Aug 3-Aug 9 (11,384); Aug 10-Aug 16 (17,085); Aug 17Â (2,057); Aug 18 (2,349); Aug 19Â (1,855); Aug 20 (1,359); Aug 21 (2,042); Aug 22 (3,277); and Aug 23 (2,029).

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello already said that they will not get tired of assisting OFWs as more Covid-affected migrant workers are repatriated to the country.

On August 9, Bello also announced thatÂ President Duterte has approved the release of additional P5 billion for the repatriation and assistance to OFWs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said a huge part of the fresh funds will be released to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) which undertakes the repatriation of OFWs displaced on-site due to lockdowns and closure of establishments overseas.

With the additional funding, Bello said, more OFWs will benefit from the Abot Kaya ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program and even more overseas workers will be repatriated and provided with assistance.

DoLE has been extending a one-time P10,000 or $200 cash aid under AKAP to pandemic-affected OFWs.

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