DOLE transports nearly 100,000 repatriated OFWs home

Nearly 100,000 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been transported back to their respective homes by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

This includes a batch of 1,691 OFWs who returned to their provinces on Saturday, all of whom tested negative for COVID-19.

Over 34,000 OFWs were sent home in May, with more than 61,000 repatriated in the succeeding months.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), in coordination with other agencies, provided food, hygiene kits, and accommodation to returning workers.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III assured that the government will exhaust all means to help OFWs regain jobs lost abroad due to the pandemic.

The number of OFWs affected by the pandemic and seeking assistance increased to 572,442.

Additionally, 240,583 requests for assistance under the government's Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program have been approved, with 203,585 OFWs already receiving the emergency aid.