19,000 OFWs stranded in quarantine facilities sent home –DOLE

At least 79 percent of the 24,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in quarantine facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been sent home, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Friday.

“From May 25 to 27, around 15,000 OFWs po ang napauwi. Tapos naman po noong May 28 - 3,107 naman. Kaya meron na pong 19,010 na napauwi so far,” said DOLE Assistant Secretary Alice Visperas.

“Matatapos po namin [ang pagpapauwi] sa binigay na panahon [ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte],” Visperas added.

Duterte had ordered that all 24,000 stranded OFWs should be sent home in one week using all available government resources.

The OFWs were those who tested negative for COVID-19 using RT-PCR COVID-19 tests and had completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Visperas said that of the 24,000 workers, around 7,000 were seafarers stranded in 26 ships docked in Manila Bay.

“Of these seafarers, at least 5,000 of them have been sent home,” she added.

The Philippines has recorded 15,588 COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 3,598 had recovered from the illness while 921 died. — DVM, GMA News