125 Filipino Seafarers Return Home from Japan

PASAY CITY 05 May 2020 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) continues to assist overseas Filipinos as it welcomed today 125 Filipino crew members of Costa Atlantica cruise ship docked in Nagasaki, Japan, with permission from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Sub-Task Group for the Repatriation of OFWs.

Upon arrival at the NAIA Terminal 2, the repatriates underwent COVID-19 rapid testing and processing through the government’s One-Stop-Shop. They will undergo stringent facility-based quarantine at a government-approved facility for 14 days.

Said repatriation was made possible through the efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs, DFA-Office of Asia and Pacific Affairs and local manning agency, Magsaysay Maritime Corporation.

The DFA, together with the Philippine Embassies and Consulates General across the globe, stands ready to provide assistance to distressed Filipinos abroad and will continue to work with partners in government and the private sector to ensure the safe return of overseas Filipinos affected by COVID-19. END

(Photos by DFA-OUMWA)