36 stranded Filipino fishermen return home from Fiji

MANILA – A special charter flight carrying 36 Filipino fishermen who were stranded in Fiji for more than two months, arrived safely at the Davao International Airport last November 5, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

The Filipino fishermen were crew members of Chinese-operated fishing boats, who were originally scheduled to return to the Philippines on Aug. 20, 2021. However, 19 of them tested positive for Covid-19 prior to their flight.

Apart from making arrangements for the fishermen’s repatriation and Philippine entry protocol requirements, quarantine amenities, and Covid-19 tests, they were also provided with welfare assistance of food and other essential items while still stranded in Fiji and awaiting their rescheduled flight.

In addition, the 19 fishermen who contracted Covid-19 were granted PHP10,000 financial aid for their aftercare under the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) Alagang Kabayan Project while the rest of the workers received PHP5,000 cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

These were accomplished through the collective efforts and resources of a team of agencies under the Philippine Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, comprised of its Assistance-To-Nationals Unit, its Philippine Overseas Labor Office, OWWA representation, as well as the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Suva, Fiji.

The team also closely coordinated with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and OWWA in Manila and received crucial support from the Filipino community in Fiji.