PH rushing to bring home OFWs before July 4

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is hoping to bring home the remains of 301 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including 152 who died of COVID-19, before the July 4 deadline set by the Saudi government for their repatriation.

“We hope to bring them back before that deadline,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement.

Upon arrival, Bello said the bodies of those who died from COVID-19 will be brought directly to the crematoriums identified by their respective families or local government units.

Bello said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will charter two flights from Riyadh and Jeddah where the bodies will be transported from various regions in Saudi Arabia before they are flown back to the Philippines.

—Tina G. Santos