Some 410 Filipinos from Lebanon have been repatriated back to the country, which is considered the single largest mass repatriation organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The DFA said the Philippine Embassy in Beirut facilitated the return of the 410 Filipinos, many of whom had spent years in Lebanon, on July 12.
In a statement, the DFA said the repatriates were beneficiaries of the embassy’s free voluntary mass repatriation program, which started in December 2019.
Recenly, the embassy sent home 1,023 Filipinos on 15 flights before the historic repatriation and that it will continue to cover costs for future beneficiaries under the free program.
On April 2, Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla, who had initiated the voluntary mass repatriation program for distressed Filipinos in the country, died from complications arising from COVID-19 .
The DFA also said that it has chartered a special repatriation flight for 354 Filipino migrant workers from Saudi Arabia.
The repatriation, according to the DFA, was “a testament to the DFA’s unwavering commitment to leaving no Filipino behind in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.”