DAVAO ORIENTAL – The provincial government of Davao Oriental has been aiding the repatriation of stranded foreign nationals and their families back to their respective home countries.
On Wednesday, May 21, the latest batch of these stranded foreign nationals and their families were transported from Davao Oriental to the Davao International Airport in Davao City where they were endorsed to the Department of Tourism who, in turn, facilitated their flight to Manila and then back to their countries of origin. Most of the stranded foreign nationals are vacationing tourists who are married to locals.
The latest batch of beneficiaries catered by the province consist of four individuals who are citizens of the United States of America. Based on official report, these individuals were stranded in the province over a month ago since the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine here.
Since April 2020, the province has already facilitated the repatriation of a total of 21 foreign nationals and their families, said Provincial Tourism Officer Miguel Trocio, who facilitates the coordination with the concerned agencies with regards to the repatriation of stranded foreigners here back to their home countries.
Among the individuals who were already served by the province’s repatriation team include residents from Germany, Norway, and Australia.
Mr. Trocio said the stranded foreigners and their families were being brought back to their home countries through sweeper flights facilitated by their embassies in coordination with concerned agencies such as the Department of Tourism, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the Department of Foreign Affairs, among others.
Mr. Trocio said that in order to ensure the smooth transport of these stranded foreigners, the province follows a process which starts from a series of coordination with the DOT for the verification of flight details of the stranded person.
A memo brief will then be issued by the Provincial Task Force on COVID-19 and a travel manifest will be secured which will be sent to the Incident Management Teams of every province, city, or municipality traversed by the vehicle which will ferry the individuals to the Davao International Airport.
Aside from the repatriation program, the provincial government is also providing vehicles to fetch Davao Oriental residents stranded in Davao City through OPLAN Sundo. The operation of the said program is set resume next week. By Van Jorain O. Rufin/Photos by Jaycee Delute
