The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Thursday reported that it has repatriated more than 800,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
In his Twitter post, OWWA Administrator Hans J. Cacdac said the government was able to bring home a total of 803,521 OFWs.
He said they were able to extend food, quarantine accommodation, and transportation aid to the said OFWs.
“That’s 800,000 OFWs personally assisted, swabbed, monitored, and transported by DOLE-OWWA , DFA , DOTr-CAAP-PCG-MIAA , DOH-BOQ , DOT , DILG , PNP , LGU , and DND-AFP ,” Cacdac said.
Thousands of OFWs opted to return to the country since last year after the business disruption caused by the pandemic led to their retrenchment or reduction of benefits.
To provide new employment opportunities to the said returnees and other Filipino jobseekers, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will be conducting a virtual job fair on Saturday.
A total of 4,510 job vacancies from 17 participating recruitment agencies are expected to be made available in the event.
Some of the positions to be made available in the online job fair include construction workers, factory workers, and seafarers, among others.
“To join, register to the POEA’s E-registration System. Click Registration at the upper left corner of the poea web site http://www.poea.gov.ph,” POEA said in a brief statement.
“It is open to all interested nationwide,” it added.
The event is sponsored by the LGUs in Victoria, Tarlac, Palayan, Nueva Ecija, Balanga Bataan, Baler, Aurora and Iba, Zambales.