NEARLY 320,000 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have returned to their hometowns amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said 319,333 OFWs had been transported to their respective provinces as of Saturday, November 21.
“For the month (November) alone, 38,516 OFWs were flown and bused to their destinations,” Bello said, citing a report from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“OWWA facilitated their transport back to their provinces as soon as they were cleared of COVID-19,” he added.
Bello said the OWWA took care of the OFWs’ hotel accommodation and food while waiting for the result of their mandatory swab tests.
The DOLE-Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) advised repatriated OFWs to opt for home and internet-based jobs in the country.
“Virtual careers are alternative options for those who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 as well as those who do not want to work away from their families,” said ILS Executive Director Ahmma Charisma Satumba
Among them, Satumba said, are virtual careers as writers, accountants, bloggers, advertisers, bookkeepers, coders, software engineers, illustrators, videographers, and other skilled professions.
