MANILA, Philippines — Some 711 individuals, who have been stranded outside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, were already sent home to their respective provinces, Pasay City Mayor Emi-Calixto Rubiano said Thursday.
In a statement, Pasay Public Information Office said the stranded persons, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), were sent home Wednesday through “commercial flights, special commercial flights or navy vessels, while a few utilized other means of transport such as a private jet.”
According to Rubiano, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Transportation helped in coordinating with other local government units to accept the stranded individuals.
Specifically, the Pasay City government said the stranded persons were transported to their respective provinces such as Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, General Santos City, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, and Cotabato, among others.
Rubiano said the persons initially started within the vicinity of NAIA and then transferred to the Villamor Air Base Elementary School and Philippine State College of Aeronautics, where they were given food and other essential needs.
Based on previous reports, a considerable number of people, including OFWs, were stranded for weeks at NAIA, relying on donations from strangers. (Jim Mendoza, Trainee)