THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) last week facilitated 64 special commercial flights to bring home 13,320 distressed overseas Filipinos (OFs) – most of whom were displaced by the pandemic.
This puts the total number of repatriated OFs to 314,158 since the DFA started its covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) related repatriations in February, the DFA said in a statement.
The repatriates include: 74 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) from the island Diego Garcia; 33 OFWs and one minor child from Cambodia; 21 trafficking-in-persons victim from United Arab Emirates; nine undocumented OFWs from Iraq; four OFWs and two minor children from Guangzhou, China; two medical repatriates from Oman; two undocumented OFWs from Vietnam; one household service worker from Iran; and one stranded seafarer from Bahamas.
The Foreign Affairs department said 32 Filipino crew of stranded fishing vessels, Long Xing 905, 906, and 907 also arrived on December 19.
The three ships were stranded at sea near the Marshall Islands after the ship owner, Dalian Ocean Fishing Company Limited, stopped paying the salaries of the crew and failed to make provisions for refueling the ships.
The DFA, through its Office for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and its Philippine Embassies in Australia, New Zealand and China lobbied with the authorities in Vanuatu, Marshall Islands and China, including with the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
This led the ship owner to make arrangements for the salaries of the crew and to refuel the ships to be able return to port in Dalian, China.
The DFA said it “continues to forge ahead with its repatriations efforts and stands ready to assist Filipino nationals affected by the pandemic.”