The Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment has confirmed that over 53,000 repatriated OFWs have already been reunited with their families.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III stated that this is in line with President Duterte’s order to send home all OFWs back to their home provinces as soon as possible.
“In compliance with President Duterte’s order to facilitate the swift return of our displaced workers from abroad to their families, we are now sending them home in just five days maximum after they reach our ports,” Bello said in a statement.
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Secretary Bello furthered that around 200 to 300 OFWs are now sent to home provinces daily through a fast-tracked system and stated that the government will continue to improve services for migrant workers in the coming days.
Around 200 migrant workers were sent home from the Paranaque Integrated Exchange (PITX) on last June 18 which was attended by several top government officials such as Senator Richard Gordon, who is also the head of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), attended the event.
The PRC is in charge of the swab testing program for OFWs who lost their jobs because of the pandemic.
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The lawmaker lauded the DOLE for its relentless campaign to assist the migrant workers affected by the lockdowns abroad to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.
‘I know Secretary Bebot (Bello). He has a big heart for our migrant workers,” Gordon said.
