(Eagle News)–Over 300 Filipinos were repatriated from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
According to the DFA, the 356 Filipinos from Jeddah and other parts of the western region returned home via a Philippine Airlines chartered flight that arrived in Manila on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The DFA said tbe repatriates were among the thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who have been economically displaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DFA said the Consulate General had originally intended to repatriate 353 OFWs but several passengers did not show up at the airport, while four were offloaded due to visa problems.
The seats that were vacated by the no-shows and offloaded passengers were used instead by 59 other OFWs on the wait-list who were brought to the airport by the Consulate in case of no-shows.
“The total number of repatriates was 356, out of the reserved 353 seats, or a seat utilization rate of 100.85%,” the DFA said.
According to Philippine Consul General to Jeddah Edgar B. Badajos, the repatriation of the distressed OFWs in Jeddah and the western Region of Saudi Arabia was part of the Philippine government’s efforts to bring home overseas Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DFA has said it would intensify its daily repatriation efforts with Metro Manila under the less stringent general community quarantine.
