(Eagle News)–The Department of Foreign Affairs repatriated over 42,000 overseas Filipinos in August amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DFA said of the 42,583 repatriated, 76.1 percent flew in from the Middle East.
The breakdown of returnees is as follows:
32,389 or 76.1% from the Middle East;
4,423 or 10.4% from Asia and the Pacific;
4,109 or 9.6% from the Americas;
1,571 or 3.7% from Europe; and
91 or 0.2% from Africa.
According to the DFA, it also mounted nine chartered flights during the month, bringing home distressed Filipinos from Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon.
“These DFA-chartered flights were paid for using the Assistance-to-Nationals Fund,” the DFA said.
It said the department, through its Philippine Embassy in Tehran and in coordination with its partner government agencies, also successfully brought home stranded OFWs in Uzbekistan in late August despite the lack of an embassy and consulate general in the country.
“The DFA was relentless in its repatriation efforts despite the imposition of ( a modified enhanced community quarantine) during the first half of the month,” the department said.
It said a second batch of repatriates from Lebanon, following the blast at Beirut Port, arrived safely last Thursday night on board a DFA-chartered Philippine Airlines flight.
As of September 5, the DFA has brought home 164,368 overseas Filipinos, it said.
