The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) and the Philippine Embassy in Bangladesh, facilitated the repatriation of 150 distressed Filipinos from Bangladesh via a special chartered flight.
This is the first DFA-funded special chartered flight for this year from Dhaka, Bangladesh, that landed at Davao International Airport on July 15, DFA said in a news release on Monday (July 19).
The 200 USD reintegration assistance is in addition to the free plane ticket, quarantine facility, and RT-PCR testing provided for the returnees from Bangladesh.
Most of the distressed passengers were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon their arrival, they were welcomed by the DFA Consular Office in Davao City, together with the Bureau of Quarantine, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Tourism.
“Following the instruction by President Duterte and as recommended by Secretary Locsin, the DFA is providing financial assistance meant to alleviate their anxieties and help them start anew here in our country,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said.
To date, more than 400,000 Filipinos worldwide returned home through the whole-of-government approach.
As of July 19, there were 21,090 total confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad with 12,430 recoveries and 1,261 fatalities. (DFA) / CF – rir
