BusinessWorld Online
Philippines seeks help for stranded migrant workers
As of Friday, 127 sea-based Filipino workers remain stranded abroad and are awaiting repatriation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has sent note verbales asking other countries to help stranded Filipino seafarers disembark at their ports.
Undersecretary Brigido Dulay stated that some nations prohibit ships with Filipinos from docking, while others have closed borders and suspended flights.
The DFA is also seeking assistance from these countries to help bring the Filipino workers home.
Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel urged the DFA to ask Japan to continue rescue operations for 36 Filipino seamen whose cargo vessel sank on September 2.
President Rodrigo Duterte had previously ordered the DFA to prioritize the repatriation of stranded Filipino seafarers, emphasizing their humane treatment.
A total of 61,716 sea-based overseas Filipino workers have already successfully returned to the Philippines.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to identify and locate Filipino seafarers stranded on ships abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more →
More than 200,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have been sent home by the government as of September 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more →
President Rodrigo Duterte announced the Philippine government's continued efforts to repatriate thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more →
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has pledged assistance to seafarers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more →
President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the Malaysian government to assist Filipinos residing in Malaysia, despite the sensitive issue concerning Sabah.
Read more →