(Eagle News)–Over 179,000 Overseas Filipino Workers so far have returned to their respective provinces under the government’s Hatid-Tulong program.
According to the Department of Transportation, the 179,155 OFWs were as of September 3.
Of this number, 55,899 were transported by land, 81,662 using air transport and 41,594 via sea transport.
The data for land and air transport is from May 25 to September 3, while the data for sea transport is from April 27 to September 4.
The DOTr said the Hatid-Tulong Program was a joint initiative of the Office of the President, National Task Force Covid-19, Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Office for Transportation Security (OTS), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are also part of the initiative.
The DOTr said the initiative was in response to the call of President Rodrigo Duterte for assistance to be given to OFWs who may be stranded in Metro Manila amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metro Manila is under a general community quarantine until the end of the month.
Under a GCQ, domestic flight operations are allowed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it was taking advantage of the GCQ classification to continue its daily repatriation efforts amid the public health emergency.