31 August 2020 – One hundred forty-five (145) Filipinos are on their way home after the Embassy of the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) successfully organized its fourth mass repatriation of stranded overseas kababayans from Malaysia using a Philippine Airlines chartered flight that departed Kuala Lumpur for Manila this afternoon.

The repatriated Filipinos were mostly OFWs, tourists, and students from Peninsular Malaysia, Labuan, Sarawak and Sabah.  They requested assistance from the Embassy after being stranded due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent cancellation of commercial flights. 

“This is the fourth mass repatriation organized by the Embassy and the DFA,” Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles C. Jose noted. “We are glad to have facilitated the homecoming of a total of 1,227 Filipinos since the start of the pandemic, and we will continue to exert efforts to help reunite our kababayans with their families.”

Because the Philippine Government organized and paid for the chartered flight, the repatriated Filipinos did not have to pay for their tickets.  It may be recalled that the Embassy and the DFA also conducted mass repatriation efforts using chartered flights on April 28, June 11, and July 23.  In addition, the Embassy coordinated two “special flights” on April 5 and May 30, and facilitated repatriation flights arranged by private companies for their Filipino employees, including seafarers, on June 2, July 16 and 20, and August 2.

“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa Embahada at nabigyan kami ng special flight. Eight po kami na galling pang KK,” said Ms. Maria Tiffany Rose Aclan, one of the thankful passengers who traveled from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to join the repatriation flight.

Mr. Reginald Nava, a stranded OFW, said, “Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Philippine Embassy sa Kuala Lumpur dahil tatlong beses na po nakansela ang aking commercial flight, so tumawag po ako sa Philippine Embassy. Maganda po ang sagot nila, responsive at on-time kaya eto po ngayon, kasama ako sa flight sa Pinas, makasama ko na ang pamilya ko. Salamat po.”                                                       

Prior to check-in, the repatriates were provided face masks and face shields by the Embassy team assisting them at the airport.                                                                          

Upon disembarkation at NAIA, the passengers will be subjected to a mandatory health assessment and COVID-19 test by the Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine (DOH-BOQ) before heading to their designated quarantine facilities.

The Embassy extends its thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia for facilitating the arrangements for the chartered flight.                                          

For more information, visit the Embassy’s website at http://www.philembassykl.org.my or its official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PHinMalaysia/.