DFA says it repatriated over 7,000 Filipinos last week

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs said it has brought home more than 231,000 migrant workers since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Of the total 231,026 repatriates logged by the agency, 7,732 returned last week. 

In a statement released Sunday, DFA said 76,069 (32.93%%) of the total returned migrant workers are sea-based, while 154,957 (67.07%) are land-based.

A large proportion of the returnees from last week flew in from the Middle East "on board 28 special commercial repatriation flights facilitated by the DFA." Of these, 5,162 flew in from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates while more than 300 flew in from Israel. 

"There were also 312 stranded Agrostudies students who were repatriated from Israel last 21 and 24 October 2020. The 21 October 2020 flight was an EI AI chartered flight coordinated by the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv and the MASHAV aid agency of Israel," DFA said. The agency previously brought home another 260 Filipino agriculture students who were stranded in Israel for weeks. 

Another 851 repatriates flew in from the Asia and the Pacific, 534 from Europe, and three from the Americas. 

"Medical repatriations from Texas, USA and Brisbane, Australia were also successfully conducted amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic," DFA said. 

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