Palace says 24,000 stranded OFWs in Metro Manila sent home

June 1, 2020

Malacañang said on Monday that all the 24,000 stranded overseas Filipino workers in Metro Manila have been sent to their provinces.

In a virtual press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said those OFWs were sent home after President Rodrigo Duterte gave an ultimatum to the concerned agencies to declog the quarantine facilities within one week last week.

"The more than 24,000 stranded OFWs have already gone to their respective homes. To recall, the President gave a deadline to all the government agencies to immediately take action on the issue of OFWs who had been under mandatory quarantine. This was after the President received news that they had been stranded in Manila for one or two months waiting for the test results (of coronavirus disease infection) and certificate of quarantine," he said.

The concerned government agencies sent the over 24,000 OFWs from May 25 to 31.

Some 42,000 more OFWs, mostly displaced due to COVID-19, are expected to arrive in the country this month. Celerina Monte/DMS