Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Photo from their Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — Another batch of repatriates, composed of 312 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Qatar, have arrived in Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Friday.
DFA said the OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 from Qatar via Philippine Airlines flight PR 685.
The OFWs underwent appropriate medical protocols upon arrival at Naia and they will also be required to undergo quarantine following the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force, said the DFA.
In a House hearing earlier this week, DFA Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said that they are eyeing to repatriate more than 50,000 overseas Filipinos by the end of July as nations continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The DFA said they can bring home 50,577 stranded Filipinos by the end of July, cutting the number of stranded Filipinos abroad to 117,049.
“As of last hearing, 167,626 ang stranded [Filipinos abroad]. By the end of July, we can bring home 50,577. Ang estimated na maiiwan ay 117,049 (Based on our estimate, 117,049 will remain stranded). We think we can bring them home in a month and a half or two months but of course that is, yung numbers na ‘yan will still increase if we don’t find a vaccine,” Arriola told lawmakers.
As of July 17, a total of 8,980 overseas Filipinos have been infected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with the death toll at 634.