Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23)— The Philippine government has created a task force which will assist and facilitate the return of thousands of Filipinos stranded in Sabah, Malaysia, Malacañang said Tuesday.
The task force will manage and handle the concerns of the 5,300 Filipino returnees in Sandakan, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in his virtual media briefing.
The group will be comprised of officials from lead agencies Social Welfare Department, the Health Department, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Bureau of Quarantine.
Roque noted the trips— which will start on June 30— will be done in batches of 400 persons, with 15-day interval in between travels. The processing area will be in Zamboanga City, he added.
The spokesman likewise thanked Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco for the move. Climaco earlier raised concerns on the local government’s capacity to let in thousands of Filipino evacuees from the said area.
A report by Kuala Lumpur-based news website Malaysian Insight earlier this month identified the Filipinos as illegal immigrants who were “stranded” in temporary detention centers in Sabah after the Philippine government refused to accept their repatriation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Zambo City gov’t wary on repatriation of thousands of Sabah evacuees
Over 60,000 overseas workers have been sent back home to the Philippines from various countries from May 3 to June 22, national government data showed.
To date, the country has recorded over 30,000 cases of the infectious disease.
