16 stranded Pinoy sailors, workers in China to finally return home on Tuesday —DFA

Sixteen Filipino sailors and three land-based workers who were stranded for several months in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic will finally return home to the Philippines on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

They will arrive in Manila around 1 a.m. on board a chartered flight.

The DFA said 11 of the 16 seafarers are from Ocean Star 86, who have been docked in Dongshan since March 2020. They will be joined by five seafarers on board M/V Maria P., who have been stranded in Ningde since July 2020.

"Both are Chinese fishing vessels which were affected by China's no disembarkation policy as precautionary measure due to the pandemic and the unavailability of commercial flights," a DFA statement said.

The Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen, the DFA said, has been providing them welfare assistance and ensured that their salaries and other entitlements are provided for by their employer.

As thousands of Filipino workers abroad were left stranded after losing their jobs due to the pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the DFA to ensure that all of them will be brought home safely at once.

Since February of this year, 195,224 came back to Manila through various chartered flights organized by the department. Of this figure, 67,484 are sea-based while 127,740 are land-based. —KBK, GMA News