55 Pinoys stranded in Papua New Guinea to return to PHL Friday night

Fifty-five overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in Papua New Guinea are expected to return home to the Philippines on Friday night, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.   In a news release, the DFA said the 55 were scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 8:30 p.m. aboard an Air Niugini flight PX 010.   The DFA said the 55 will then take a connecting flight to General Santos on Saturday.   "Philippine Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Bienvenido Tejano personally oversaw the repatriation. The Embassy also arranged a special flight for the OFWs from Manus to Port Moresby," the DFA said.   The investigation showed the 55 were recruited as land and sea-based crew members of a fishing company in Papua New Guinea.   However, the company could not push through with its operations due to documentation problems, leaving the crew members stranded and their wages unpaid.   The DFA said the cost of repatriation was charged to the DFA's assistance-to-nationals fund. - VVP, GMA News