Some 400 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived back in the Philippines on Tuesday, April 14, totaling over 14,600 Filipinos who have been repatriated by the Department of Foreign Affairs since the novel coronavirus outbreak began.
On the 15th straight day of repatriation efforts, two batches arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the nation’s capital: 301 seafarers who worked on various Carnival cruise ships in Miami, Florida, and 101 workers from Indonesia.
Arriving on a Qatar Airways flight, the group from the U.S. worked on Carnival Legend, Carnival Pride, Carnival Fascination and Carnival Conquest.
The batch from Indonesia came via a chartered AirAsia flight in coordination with the DFA, Philippine Embassy in Jakarta, Sumitomo Corporation (the employer of the OFWs), ABD Overseas Manpower Corporation (local manning agency), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Health (DOH).
Sumitomo shouldered the cost of the chartered flight while ABD Corporation provided temporary accommodation and transportation from NAIA to their designated hotels or respective residences in Metro Manila, the DFA said in a statement.
On Monday, the DFA welcomed back six land-based OFWs from Doha, Qatar and 299 seafarers from the following cruise ships: seven from MSC Sinfonia, 47 from Norwegian Jewel, 107 from Carnival Inspiration, and 138 from Carnival Miracle.
It also received 228 seafarers from Costa Fascinosa and another 440 seafarers from Norwegian Getaway. According to the department, the Philippine Embassies in Brasilia in Brazil and Washington D.C. in the United States facilitated this batch’s repatriation.
Previously, 822 Filipino crew members of MS Norwegian Epic, MS Marina, and MS Norwegian Spirit arrived in the country. Since the beginning of the month, Norwegian Cruise Lines has spent for the repatriation of over 3,670 of its Filipino seafarers.
All of the Filipinos who returned home will be undergoing 14-day quarantines, supervised by the Bureau of Quarantine.
“The DFA ensures the safe and successful repatriation of Filipinos in distress through close coordination and cooperation with its partner agencies — the DOH, the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) — through a whole-of-government approach, and the vital support of the private sector,” it said.
