FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from a building after a blast, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
MANILA, Philippines — Close to 400 Filipinos have been repatriated from Ukraine to the Philippines since conflict broke out following Russia’s invasion in late February.
So far, 394 Filipinos have been flown back to the Philippines, according to a repatriation update shared on Tuesday by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola online.
REPATRIATION UPDATE OF FILIPINOS IN UKRAINE as of 29 March 2022, 4:00 pm: @teddyboylocsin @DFAPHL pic.twitter.com/WvWL9FRpOz
— Sarah Lou Ysmael Arriola (@slyarriola) March 29, 2022
Among the latest batch of repatriates included 30 seafarers from Ukraine who arrived in the country in the last three days. Some of them arrived at the Clark International Airport on Tuesday, Arriola said.
(1/2) 30 seafarers from Ukraine arrived in the last three days including today’s arrival at Clark International Airport. Seafarers of MV Ithaca Prospect, MV Filia Joy and MV Nord Virgo were the latest arrivals from Bucharest, Romania. @teddyboylocsin @DFAPHL pic.twitter.com/39LYVsCHB5
— Sarah Lou Ysmael Arriola (@slyarriola) March 29, 2022
These seafarers manned the MV Ithaca Prospect, MV Filia Joy, and MV Nord Virgo. They arrived in the country via Bucharest, Romania. In total, 350 seafarers have already been repatriated, according to the DFA.
Meanwhile, 40 other Filipinos have so far been evacuated from Ukraine to neighboring countries, it added.
It was on March 7 that the Philippine government ordered the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos from Ukraine, which Russia started to invade on February 24. At the time, only more than 30 Filipinos had returned to the Philippines.
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