The Philippine government continues to repatriate and assist distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) a year after the pandemic began.
According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the government has flown back a total of 605,000 OFWs since last year.
Bello said the repatriation continues at a steady pace with up to 40,000 displaced OFWs expected to return home.
The labor chief attributed this to Filipino migrant workers who opted to stay in their host countries in hopes of getting opportunities there.
The return of 30,000 to 40,000 OFW means the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will face another challenge in looking for funds for the quarantine hotels, food, and transportation of displaced workers.
To ease the burden to OWWA, Bello said the quarantine period for the returning OFWs has been reduced from 14 days down to the current seven days.
Moreover, they are also considering asking for another supplemental budget for OFWs if the supplemental budget initially given to OWWA is not enough.
