More than 800,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have returned home after being displaced from their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
DOLE said a total of 809,374 workers have returned to their home provinces as of November 28 after being released from quarantine protocols.
The workers consisted mostly of pandemic-affected workers and displaced OFWs after lockdowns were imposed across different countries to curb the spread of COVID-19.
"Many of our OFWs became helpless when the pandemic struck and so the government launched a massive repatriation drive never done before," said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in a statement.
According to Bello, the workers were brought home through chartered flights shouldered by the government.
They were subjected to testing and quarantine protocols upon arrival, before being transported home to their provinces once cleared, said Bello.
Meanwhile, the repatriation drive of the government will continue as the pandemic goes on.
"As long as we have migrant workers who want to go home but can’t do so because of difficulties due to the pandemic, we will continue the repatriation program," Bello said.
Many workers across the world were stranded following travel restrictions imposed by different countries. These employees even lost their jobs as the pandemic triggered lockdowns that shuttered businesses.
According to the International Labor Organization, over 125 million workers lost their job because of the pandemic.
