DFA Welcomes Home 302 Filipinos from Singapore, Algeria, Japan, Germany, France

(Photos by DFA-OUMWA)

PASAY CITY 28 April 2020 - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) started the work week by welcoming home 132 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Singapore and 121 from Algeria on the morning of 27 April 2020.

The successful repatriation of the said OFWs was made possible by the Philippine Embassies in Singapore and Tripoli in coordination with their respective employers who shouldered their plane tickets to Manila.

In the afternoon, DFA welcomed home four overseas Filipinos from Japan, nine seafarers of MS Amera and MS Albatros from Germany, and 36 seafarers of Celebrity Apex cruise ship from France.

The Philippine Embassies in Berlin and Paris, and the Philippine Consulate in Frankfurt facilitated the successful return of the seafarers to the Philippines in coordination with the manning agencies, BSM and RCCL.

All arriving Overseas Filipino Workers went through medical assessments and rapid testing in the One-Stop-Shops at NAIA Terminals 1 and 2. In line with the whole-of-government approach, the One-Stop-Shop ensures that all OFWs are assisted upon their return to the Philippines during the Enhanced Community Quarantine period.

The OFWs will undergo a stringent 14-day quarantine in BOQ-accredited hotels paid for by their employers/agencies. OFWs without agencies were endorsed to OWWA, while Overseas Filipinos (e.g. students and tourists) will undergo mandatory quarantine in their respective homes. END