MANILA, Philippines – At least 128 Filipinos in Turkey have returned to the country in the latest repatriation efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
DFA said that the repatriates, who are returning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, left Istanbul on Wednesday via a Turkish Airlines special flight and arrived at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Thursday.
Out of the 128 Filipinos, 19 are students and 34 were undocumented workers living across various Turkey areas. Another 56 are sea-based workers from various ships, identified as MV Stella Wakamatsu, the MV HC Nadja Maria, the MV AOM Elena, and the MV Yavuz, which disembarked on various Turkish ports.
Three more Filipinos disembarked from their ships in Istanbul due to emergency health concerns not related to COVID-19.
PH Embassy in Ankara Repatriates 128 Filipinos from Turkey Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: https://t.co/E1ii7YEyBv
A total of 128 Filipinos are now back home after their successful repatriation from Turkey with the efforts of the @PHinTurkey and PH Consulate General in Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/qM2LhSnlXq
— DFA Philippines (@DFAPHL) June 11, 2020
DFA also reported that the body of overseas Filipino worker Maria Biluan, who was based in Ankara, was also brought along with the special trip. Biluan was a native of Benguet province.
The latest repatriation measures came as worldwide COVID-19 numbers are still on the rise, prompting various businesses and establishments to close down, either temporarily or long term.
The overall number of confirmed coronavirus infections worldwide recently breached the seven million mark, now at 7.362 million cases with 416,245 deaths and 3.446 million recoveries.
As of Wednesday, DFA said that they have recorded 5,430 cases among Filipinos abroad, with 2,702 of the patients still undergoing treatment. Of the total number of patients, 382 have died while 2,346 have recovered.