36 Filipino fishermen return home after 2-month ordeal in Fiji

Thirty-six Filipino fishermen who were stranded in Fiji for over two months have finally returned to the Philippines via a special charter flight that landed at the Davao International Airport on November 5.

The fishermen, who were crew members of Chinese-operated fishing boats, were supposed to return to the Philippines on August 20 but their flight was canceled after 19 of them tested positive for COVID-19.

The Philippine Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, along with the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Suva, Fiji, worked together to arrange the fishermen's repatriation, including their quarantine and COVID-19 testing.

While stranded, the fishermen received welfare assistance such as food and essential items.

Additionally, the 19 fishermen who contracted COVID-19 received PHP10,000 each for their aftercare from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), while the remaining fishermen received PHP5,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).