Repatriated overseas Filipinos breach 102k
MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs successfully repatriated 12,022 overseas Filipinos from different parts of the globe this week.
It will be recalled the Department of Foreign Affairs started bringing home Filipino workers last February when the COVID-19 pandemic began its devastating impact on health and the economy of different countries.
In a statement, the DFA said Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola disclosed repatriating over 100,000 overseas Filipinos is the first in DFA’s history.
“It may look easy but in reality it was difficult. But through the sustained efforts of our dedicated personnel who worked 24/7 since February and the full cooperation of all our Foreign Service Posts, we pulled this feat off,” Undersecretary Arriola said.
From the 102,519 overseas Filipinos repatriated since February, 42.8 percent or 43,893 were sea-based while 57.2 percent or 58,626 were land-based. The most recent repatriates came from The Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the USA.
This week, the DFA brought home 8,895 overseas Filipinos from the Middle East, 1,806 from the Asia-Pacific, 677 from Europe and 644 from the Americas.
The DFA also said there were 36 newCOVID-19 cases among overseas Filipinos from Asia and the Pacific and Europe. Its latest report disclosed 9,275 were confirmed cases with 3,212 were undergoing treatment and 5,410 recovered and were discharged from medical facilities. The same report revealed 653 died. Some 58% of the total cases reported were able to recover while those who are under treatment were still under treatment while 7% died. (Melo M. Acuña)
DFA officials welcome and process the papers of overseas Filipinos upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This has been a common sight since the DFA began its repatriation program from February 2020 when COVID-19 began to impact on health and economy. (DFA Photo)
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