Almost 200K displaced OFWs prefer to stay abroad

As of Tuesday, June 2, almost 200,000 displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus pandemic prefer to stay in their host countries rather than return home.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reported that a total of 351,161 OFWs have been displaced due to the pandemic, with around 95,000 wanting to come back to the Philippines.

DOLE has sent over 25,000 repatriated OFWs home from quarantine facilities as per President Duterte's directive, with 24,028 OFWs transported between May 25 and June 1.

The majority of those staying abroad are located in America, Europe, the UK, and other regions where they would rather remain despite job losses or inability to work due to lockdowns.