(Eagle News) — Over 500,000 stranded overseas Filipino workers have been able to return to their respective provinces thanks to the government’s Hatid-Tulong program, the Department of Transportation said.
According to the DOTr, as of March 26, 504,859 OFWs have been assisted.
Of the figure, 153,814 of were transported by land while 264,118 managed to return using air transport.
Over 80,000, or 86,927 were transported via sea.
The figures for land transport, air transport, and for sea transport were from May 25, 2020 to March 25, 2021; from May 26, 2020 to March 26, 2021; and from April 27, 2020 to March 25, 2021, respectively.
The initiative was made possible in coordination with the Office of the President, National Task Force Covid-19, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and the Philippine Coast Guard.
The DOTr said also participating in the initiative were 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 the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
The national government has imposed additional restrictions over Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan, with non-essential entry into and outside the bubble area, as they are collectively called, banned for two weeks starting last Sunday.
