139 Pinoys arrive from Myanmar

At least 139 Filipinos from Myanmar arrived home late Monday afternoon. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. welcomed the repatriates as he gave assurance that the remaining Filipinos in the country that had been taken over by the military could go home for whatever reason. “Those who are still in Myanmar, please, there’s no question. If you want to go home, gather yourselves together and we’ll get you another flight,” said Locsin shortly after the arrival of a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)-chartered Air Asia flight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Among those repatriated were 11 children and two senior citizens. Since March 2020, the DFA, through its Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, has repatriated a total of 509 Filipinos from Myanmar. There are about 1,200 Filipinos in Myanmar, according to DFA data. —Tina G. Santos