The Department of Foreign Affairs has announced the arrival of 139 overseas Filipinos from Myanmar.
The DFA said that the Philippine government chartered a special flight to bring home stranded Filipinos as part of the government’s assistance to nationals program.
RELATED STORY: DFA advises Filipinos in Myanmar to remain calm amid military takeover
Most of the stranded Filipinos in Myanmar were due to current COVID-19 travel restrictions, as well as the recent political situation.
Most of the repatriated Filipinos worked as professionals in Myanmar. Among those repatriated were 11 dependent children and four dependent parents, including 2 senior citizens, of said OFWs.
“The Philippine government, especially the DFA, stands ready to bring home any Filipino who wishes to come home during this pandemic. Through the Assistance to Nationals Fund, the Department continues to repatriate our distressed overseas Filipinos wherever they may be,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said in a statement.
READ ON: WATCH: Video for aerobic dance competition captures Myanmar’s first stages of military coup
Since the start of its pandemic-related repatriations in March 2020, the DFA has repatriated a total of 370 overseas Filipinos from Myanmar.
“Today’s flight was the second DFA-chartered flight from Yangon, while 12 other special flights were facilitated by the DFA in collaboration with airline companies,” the DFA said. (TDT)
