Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4) — The Department of Foreign Affairs has repatriated more than 200,000 overseas Filipino workers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Oct. 4, the DFA said it has facilitated the return of a total of 204,481 OFWs, of which around 34 percent are sea-based, while 66 percent are land-based workers.
In a press release on Sunday, the DFA also noted that in September alone, it has brought home 41,892 OFWs. Broken down into regions, 74.5 percent came from the Middle East, 10.1 percent from Asia and the Pacific, 8.8 percent from the Americas, 6.3 percent from Europe, and 0.3 percent from Africa.
“As the last quarter of the year starts, the DFA and its Foreign Service Posts will continue to facilitate repatriation flights to bring home our overseas Filipinos wherever they are in the world,” the DFA said.
The department’s latest data on COVID-19 figures showed the viral disease has hit a total of 10,549 Filipinos residing abroad. This tally includes 793 who have died and 6,750 who have recovered, leaving the number of active cases, or patients still undergoing treatment, at 3,006.
Based on DFA’s figures, the Middle East remains to have the highest number of confirmed cases among overseas Filipinos, while the Americas rank lowest among regions worldwide.
The total case count is nearing 35 million across the globe, while the death toll has surpassed a million, according to the tracker maintained by the Johns Hopkins University.
