PASAY CITY 20 August 2021 — A total of 357 distressed Filipinos arrived in the country from Dubai, UAE via a special flight chartered by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The repatriates arrived via Philippine Airlines flight PR8659 at 12:12 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on 20 August 2021.
This is the 4th DFA chartered flight from the UAE for this month alone and the 11th DFA repatriation flight from the UAE since June this year, bringing the total number of DFA repatriation beneficiaries from the GCC country to 5,168 since the start of the pandemic.
“We wish to assure the public that our desk officers and staff, our special repatriation group covering the flights, and members of our foreign service posts work tirelessly to ensure that Filipinos affected by various travel restrictions throughout the world are given the chance to come home,” said Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola.
Upon arrival, the repatriates were assisted by representatives from the DFA, the Department of Health (DOH), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other members of the One Stop Shop (OSS) team. They were also briefed on the COVID-19 quarantine protocols.
All passengers were tested and yielded negative results in the RT-PCR COVID-19 test at 48 hours prior to their departure from UAE and will undergo stringent facility-based quarantine provided by the Philippine government. This is in conformity with the health protocols set by the DOH- Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) aside from another mandatory RT-PCR Testing for COVID19.
Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs