PH Consulate General in Manado Repatriates 29 Fishermen

Filipinos prepare to board the vessel that will take them from Tahuna to General Santos City. (Manado PCG photo)

MANADO 18 December 2020 — Working closely with partner agencies in Indonesia, the Philippine Consulate General in Manado obtained the accelerated processing of departure clearances for 29 Filipino fishermen who were unable to leave North Sulawesi in Indonesia for weeks in the middle of the pandemic.

The Consulate General put together a transportation plan that set the repatriates in a direct route from Manado City to General Santos City – a challenge that was made vastly more challenging by the absence of airline or ferry service between the two cities. The scheme was meant to have the Filipino fishermen avoid the risky, expensive, and arduous flight from Manado to Jakarta, Jakarta to Manila, and, finally, Manila to General Santos City.

The Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Team of the Consulate General led the Filipinos on an 8-hour voyage from Manado City to Tahuna Island by public ferry. After spending the night on the island, the ATN Team got the Filipinos on board a 250-gross ton, steel-hulled vessel which was chartered with funds from generous concerned citizens. The Filipinos departed Tahuna Port on 13 December at 9:00 PM and arrived safely at General Santos City Port on 14 December at 5:00 PM. END

The Assistance-To-Nationals Team (in dark coats) join the Filipino repatriates on board the MV GLORIA-28. The repatriates were very appreciative of the Consulate General’s effort to bring them home in time for Christmas. (Manado PCG photo)

For more information, visit https://www.manadopcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinManado/.