Nearly 450,000 OFWs repatriated since May 2020

Nearly 450,000 displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been sent back to their home regions since May 2020, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

As of February 21, 2021, a total of 447,076 repatriated OFWs have returned to their respective provinces.

The Philippine government initiated the repatriation of OFWs who lost their jobs following the World Health Organization's declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020.

In February 2021 alone, 19,581 OFWs were sent home, a decrease from the 16,149 returnees during the second week of December 2020.

The largest number of returnees were recorded between May 15 and July 26, 2020, with 108,351 OFWs arriving home during that period.

A previous DOLE report in May 2020 indicated that 323,537 OFWs were displaced, with a significant majority of 238,362 coming from the Middle East.