406 overseas Filipinos arrive at NAIA from three countries

PARAÑAQUE CITY, June 30 (PIA) — A total of 406 overseas Filipinos mostly displaced by COVID-19 arrived in the Philippines from three countries on Monday, June 29, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. 

The DFA said it facilitated the repatriation of 223 Filipinos from Hong Kong and France and another 183 from Thailand.

The DFA said the repatriates arrived on three separate flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where the overseas Filipinos undergo mandatory novelcoronal virus testing.

Returning overseas Filipinos who were swabbed at the airport will receive an e-mail certification from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). 

The DFA briefed the repatriated overseas Filipinos on quarantine protocols before they were brought to designated facilities where they will undergo mandatory quarantine in accordance with the guidelines established by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Together with its number of Philippine embassies and consulates around the world, the DFA facilitated the repatriation of Filipinos who expressed their intent on returning to the country.  

Majority of Filipino repatriates from Phuket, Thailand used to work in various establishments belonging to the tourism industry such as hotels, resorts and restaurants. The tourism sector is one of the most hard-hit industry worldwide due to COVID-19.

Authorities has brought home an additional 7,928 overseas Filipinos last week, bringing the total number of those repatriated to 59,041 as of June 27.

Of the total, 53.67 percent (31,688) are sea-based and 46.33 percent (27,353) are land-based, with the most recent repatriates arriving from Barbados, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, respectively.

The DFA said it “continues to work with the various national agencies in assisting Filipinos around the world in the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.”

A total of 8,467 overseas Filipinos from Asia and Pacific, Europe, MIddle East, Africa, and Americas have been confirmed positive with COVID-19 so far. Out of the 8,467 confirmed cases, 2,829 are undergoing treatment, and 5,091 overseas Filipinos have recovered. (DFA/PIA-NCR)