173,088 repatriated OFWs sent to home provinces

MANILA, Philippines — Returning migrant workers who were sent home to their respective provinces by the government already stood at 170,000, the labor department reported on Sunday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that as of Aug. 29, 173,088 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) had been sent home to their destinations.

For the month of August, 55,709 OFW returnees were sent home to their provinces after testing negative for the coronavirus disease.

OFWs displaced by the COVID-19 crisis get a one-time cash assistance of P10,000, or $200. So far, P2.492 billion had been disbursed to 243,326 displaced OFWs.

—Tina G. Santos