The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi has repatriated in May 2020 about 160 OFs (OFWs, tourists, students) who were stranded in India because of the complete lockdown imposed on the country since the last week of March 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The repatriated Filipinos went back to the Philippines through the different Air India rescue flights to Manila mounted by the Indian Government for stranded Indian nationals in the Philippines. On 10 May 2020, two (2) were able to board the flight from Delhi, ninety one (91) bought their plane tickets from Mumbai on 24 May 2020 while forty-eight (48) flew from Delhi on 30 May 2020. Meanwhile, nineteen (19) Filipinos also went aboard two Philippine Navy ships, BRP Davao del Sur and BRP Alcaraz, which finally sailed from Kochi on 27 May 2020 together with the donation of 200,000 face masks made possible through the combined efforts of Mr. Paul Dantes,a Filipino-American businessman and NDPE.

The repatriation of these stranded OFs in India is a manifestation of NDPE’s resolve to assist Filipino nationals in distress in whatever way possible. NDPE thanks all those concerned in making the repatriation a reality including the different agencies in the Indian and Philippine Governments.