DFA continues to bring back distressed OFS
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has continued welcoming distressed overseas Filipinos (OFS) from all over the world through the agency’s “Assistance-tonationals” fund.
All repatriates were subjected to appropriate medical protocols upon their arrival as required by the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). They also underwent isolation in accordance with the omnibus guidelines established by the Inter-agency Task Force, including thermal scanning and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing, or RT-PCR, before they were transported to designated hotels for facility quarantine.
The one-stop shop at the airport is a joint initiative of multiple government agencies to expedite the repatriation of Filipinos while ensuring the safety and health of the public. Aside from the BOQ, the DFA’S major partners include the Philippine Coast Guard, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Tourism and the Philippine National Police.
The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs has been active in the repatriation efforts since the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak worldwide. According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola, “We are working round-the-clock, [as] distressed Filipinos depend on our services.”
To date, the DFA has repatriated more than 28,000 Filipinos because of the global health crisis.