(File photo from DFA)
MANILA, Philippines — At least 40,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have lost their jobs are still awaiting repatriation, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Thursday.
Bello said the figure was previously at 80,000 but many OFWs have decided to stay in their host countries after they were vaccinated against Covid-19.
“So hindi na sila nagtuloy, umatras na sila. Siguro may mga naiwan pa between 40,000 to 50,000,” he said oN ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo when asked about the number of displaced OFWs who are awaiting repatriation.
(They did not push through for the repatriation. Maybe there are still 40,000 to 50,000 OFWs awaiting to be repatriated.)
Labor and Employment Sec. Silvestre Bello III. Senate PRIB file photo / Henzberg Austria
Bello said there are around 1,000 displaced OFWs who are being repatriated to the Philippines every day.
In December last year, DOLE International Labor Affairs Bureau director Alice Visperas said the department has recorded over 550,000 OFWs displaced by the pandemic.
Of this number, around 370,000 have already been repatriated to their home provinces while 126,000 are awaiting repatriation as of December 17.
She said some OFWs have opted to stay in their host countries.
Bello earlier said the repatriated OFWs who were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic will each receive P10,000 in government assistance upon their arrival to the Philippines.