Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Photo from their Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — Thirty-six Filipino fishermen who were stranded in Fiji for over two months made it back home safely after arriving at the Davao International Airport via a special charter flight earlier this month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.
The fishermen, who were crew members of Chinese-owned fishing boats, were supposed to return to the Philippines on August 20.
However, some 19 of them tested positive for COVID-19 before their flight. They arrived at the Davao International Airport on November 5.
In a statement on Wednesday, the DFA said it has made arrangements for the fisherfolk’s repatriation and provided welfare assistance in the form of food and other essential items.
The agency added that the 19 fishermen who contracted COVID-19 received P10,000 worth of financial assistance under the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s Alagang Kabayan Project, while the remaining 17 received P5,000 worth of cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
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