MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 48,000 more Filipino migrant workers are currently awaiting repatriation, President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress as he warned that repatriated Filipinos could reach over 100,000 in the coming months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his weekly report to Congress on the use of his emergency powers to address the health crisis, Duterte said cruise lines companies have expressed that 29,963 more seafarers are expected to be sent home.
Meanwhile, foreign service posts of the Department of Foreign Affairs have indicated that another 17,830 land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have signified their intent to be repatriated.
“Barring any complications, this would bring the total number of repatriates to 93,675,” Duterte said in his report.
“However, due to the continuing impact of the pandemic, the number of repatriated Filipinos could reach 100,000 or even higher in the coming months,” he added.
Earlier, Malacañang reported more than 50,000 OFWs from various countries have been sent home to their respective home provinces since mid-May following their repatriation to the country.
The Department of Labor and Employment had revealed that nearly 100,000 Filipinos are stranded in various parts of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Worldwide, there are over 8.9 million people who have contracted SARS-CoV-2—the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.