A total of 56 Filipino seafarers were repatriated from Ankara on Thursday. They were a part of 128 strong brigade of Overseas Filipino Workers(OFWs) repatriated by the Filipino government with assistance from various Turkish authorities in Ankara.
The repatriation was led by the Philippine Embassy in Ankara, Filipino Consul General in Istanbul, coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs(DFA), Manila and various Turkish Authorities. Raul Hernandez, the Filipino ambassador to Turkey spearheading the efforts.
A Turkish Airlines special flight, TK 4945 carried them from Istanbul International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport(NAIA), Manila. It departed on 10th June and arrived in Manilla on 11th June.
The seafarers on the vessels were mainly from MV Wakamatsu, MV AOM Elena and many others in the ports of Istanbul and Antalya.
3 of the repatriated mariners were signed off their ships for medical grounds which were assessed as non-COVID and to acquire medication.
The repatriated seafarers expressed their appreciation for the service of the Filipino government.
Meanwhile, reports of 20 OFWs recovering from COVID-19 was released by the DFA. With the total number of COVID cases among OFWs reaching 5469, a lot of them engaged in the seafaring industry, eyes are on the Filipino government to see how they tackle the situation.
Reference : https://dfa.gov.ph/
