PH Embassy in Madrid Brings Home Stranded Undocumented Filipina in Spain

The stranded undocumented Filipina OFW in Madrid (second from right) was assisted by the Philippine Embassy in Madrid for her repatriation. From left: Her Filipina friend Juriza Nolos, Philippine Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General Adrian Elmer S. Cruz, and Assistance-To-Nationals Officer Edgar C. Canta. (Madrid PE photo)

MADRID 26 September 2020 – In the efforts of providing immediate assistance to Filipino nationals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic abroad, the Philippine Embassy in Madrid extended assistance to an undocumented Overseas Filipino Worker, so she can return to the Philippines and be reunited with her family in Manila.

The lady, Salvacion (not her real name), lost her job in Madrid when the Spanish government placed the country under a State of Alarm on 13 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With stringent lockdown measures put in place in the early stage of the pandemic, the OFW was not allowed by her employer to report for work. Without any known relatives in Spain and not enough savings, she approached the Philippine Embassy to seek welfare assistance and discuss her possible repatriation.

Initially, Salvacion was informed that she still has to stay indefinitely as travel remains restricted for the first half of the year. She was able to leave Spain by the third quarter of 2020 after her documentation was finalized in Manila.

Upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport she was met and assisted by the Airport Teams of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).  She was able to reunite with her family two days after obtaining her negative COVID-19 test result.

The recent repatriation of our kababayan from Spain brought a total of 977 OFWs who were assisted by the Philippine Embassy in Madrid. As of early September, more than 164,000 overseas Filipino workers have been brought home to be reunited with their families. END

Mr. Rafael Palencia of the DFA Office of Migrant Workers Affairs (OMWA) Airport Team meets and assists her upon her arrival at the NAIA on 15 September 2020. (OUMWA photo)

For more information, visit  https://www.madripe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philembassymadrid.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSpain/.