DFA Facilitates Return of 778 Seafarers, 23 Shelter Wards on Holy Monday

PASAY CITY 07 April 2020 - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) capped off its Holy Monday repatriation operations by welcoming an additional 179 seafarers from the USA and 23 shelter wards from Qatar on board Qatar Airways Flight QR932.

The said batch was composed of seafarers from five Carnival Cruise ships: Conquest, Ecstasy, Fascination, Legend, and Magic. Meanwhile, the 23 OFWs from Qatar are wards who took refuge at the shelter managed by the Philippine Embassy in Doha.

The DFA, through its Philippine Embassies in Washington DC and Doha, facilitated the safe return of the overseas Filipinos. DFA’s partner agencies, namely the Department of Health, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Transportation, likewise assisted the returning Filipinos upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This is a testament to the Philippine government’s commitment to bring home every Filipino who wishes to come home, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

All the repatriates underwent thorough mandatory inspection and quarantine protocols supervised by the Bureau of Quarantine.

Earlier in the day, the DFA welcomed 599 seafarers from five other Carnival Cruise ships. END