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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaPeople

As Philippines battles Covid-19, what happened to vow of ‘no migrant left behind’?

  • Long considered ‘heroes’ for their role in boosting the economy with remittances, OFWs say they’re now left in the lurch as Manila tightens its borders
  • But those who make it home face other problems, including a lack of jobs in a country which has been in lockdown for over a year now

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Filipino migrant workers queue up for Covid-19 tests in Hong Kong. Photo: AP
Raissa Roblesin Manila

For nearly two months now, Elena (not her real name) has been stuck in Lagos after her contract as an office employee ended. She is among a group of overseas Filipino workers in Nigeria hoping to catch a flight home.

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“On April 7, we bought economy-class tickets with the Ethiopian Airlines. The only available flight was April 30 because of a travel cap” of 2,500 daily arrivals imposed by the Philippines, said Elena, who did not want to disclose her name.

Two days before they were due to travel, Elena said the workers each paid US$100 to take a Covid-19 swab test. But when they tried to check in online the next day, “we learned that our flight was cancelled”.

The Philippine government had imposed new travel restrictions due to the surge in Covid-19 cases around Manila. To alter their travel dates, the workers have to pay Ethiopian Airlines a US$1,100 rebooking fee, which “we can’t afford”, said Elena, who is in her forties.

Elena’s predicament is a part of a growing crisis for President Rodrigo Duterte’s government. Long hailed as heroes, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are now being left in the lurch as Manila struggles with containing the pandemic.
The Philippines has a total caseload of over 1.1 million, making it the second-worst affected nation in Southeast Asia. It has spent more than a year in various stages of lockdowns.

02:02

Hungry Filipinos in lockdown share food as nation’s Covid-19 caseload surpasses 1 million

Hungry Filipinos in lockdown share food as nation’s Covid-19 caseload surpasses 1 million

“There are more than 10 million Filipinos abroad at any given time,” said Troy Dooley, programme head of the Philippine chapter at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a leading inter-governmental group.

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