DFA: Over 300 overseas Filipinos repatriated from UAE this week

The DFA repatriated over 300 overseas Filipinos from the UAE this week./DFA/

(Eagle News) — Over 300 overseas Filipinos were repatriated from the United Arab Emirates this week.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the 325 Filipinos arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday, June 17.

This was the third flight from the UAE this year chartered by the department through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) using the DFA’s Assistance To National Fund.

The DFA said the batch included 88 pregnant women.

“This recent arrival is a clear testament of our commitment to bring you home,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said.

The department said the repatriates will undergo facility-based quarantine provided by the Philippine government, in “conformity with the health protocols set by the Department of Health (DOH) – Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).”

They shall also be subjected to RT-PCR testing for COVID-19.

The DFA said it will continue to accept applications for future repatriations from the UAE through the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai.

A previous chartered flight from the UAE last June 31 brought home 396 overseas Filipinos.

“The Philippine government upholds the One-Country Team Approach (OCTA) by continuously collaborating and cooperating with the Department of Health (DOH), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Philippine Coast Guard to ensure the safety and welfare of our Kababayans,” the department said.