PH to discuss repatriation of 244 OFW remains from Saudi

Updated Wed, June 24, 2020 at 8:00 AM Published Sun, June 21, 2020 at 8:00 AM

As of Wednesday, June 24, 2020, a total of 6,752 Filipinos have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III will discuss with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) the appeal for the repatriation of the bodies of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who died in Saudi Arabia.

Though it has been decided that these OFWs' remains would be buried in Saudi, their relatives have been asking for their bodies to be repatriated back to the Philippines.

Two airplanes are prepared to be sent, courtesy of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, to repatriate the remains.

According to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Sarah Arriola, there are 244 remains in Saudi that need to be shipped, 106 of which are COVID-19-related.

Health undersecretary Mario Villaverde explained that the issue is problematic as Saudi Arabia does not allow cremation, which is part of international protocol for transporting bodies of those who died of infectious diseases.

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan urged the Philippine government to allow the repatriation of the bodies of OFWs who died from COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

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