Over 500K OFWs repatriated amid COVID-19 pandemic —DOLE

The government has repatriated more than half a million overseas Filipino workers who were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment said.

In a statement, DOLE said 502,581 OFWs have been safely transported to their home provinces after undergoing COVID-19 testing and quarantine protocols in various hotels in the country.

DOLE said the latest batch of repatriates consisted of 1,471 OFWs who were sent home on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in a separate report, DOLE’s International Labor Affairs Bureau showed there were 645,071 OFWs affected by the pandemic, of which 627,576 were displaced.

ILAB director Alice Visperas said 49,698 of those displaced had requested repatriation, while 75,297 opted to stay on site.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the government continues to provide assistance to displaced and affected OFWs.

So far, DOLE’s Abot Kamay Ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program has extended P5.043 billion to 497,122 OFWs, he said.

AKAP is a one-time cash assistance of $200 or P10,000 for each qualified affected/displaced OFW.

Aside from AKAP, DOLE also provides financial aid, food and medical aid to COVID-19-infected OFWs.

To date, it has extended a total of $1.93 million in cash assistance to 9,667 OFW COVID-19 patients, while another $2.6 million in medical and food aid has been extended to 124,945 OFWs.—Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News