(Eagle News) — Over 200 Filipinos from Doha, Qatar were repatriated amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said 278 overseas Filipinos, including an infant, were ferried back to the Philippines via a chartered Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight on May 20.
The DFA said the chartered flight also included 28 Filipinos who had sought temporary shelter at the embassy and other Overseas Filipino Resource Centers prior to their repatriation.
According to the DFA, the repatriation was a result of the close coordination between the embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, and relevant authorities in Qatar, such as the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, the Hamad International Airport, and Qatar Airways.
“The Embassy and POLO stand ready to provide appropriate assistance to those who wish to be repatriated.,” the DFA said.
Earlier, the Philippine government repatriated 468 Filipinos from Singapore and Qatar.
COVID-19 national action plan chief implementer Carlito Galvez had said around 42,000 OFWs were expected to arrive by June, noting that they may overwhelm hotels.
