The Philippine Embassy in Malaysia has vowed to continue extending assistance to remaining Filipinos in Sabah following the repatriation of more than 700 Filipino nationals during the week.
“The return of Filipinos from Sabah to Zamboanga during the COVID-19 pandemic has always been coordinated between Sabah authorities and the Task Group for the Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos (TG-MROF), which is the Philippine government body tasked to oversee the Sabah transfers,” Philippine Ambassador Charles Jose said in a statement.
“This is to ensure the safe and orderly travel of all returning Filipinos and to minimize the risks due to COVID-1,” he said.
Jose also said the transfer complies with the latest entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for travel to the Philippines.
“In all previous transfers during the pandemic, the embassy was always present to provide welfare assistance, supervise COVID-19 testing, and issue travel documents to the returning Filipinos,” he added.
Jose’s statement came on the heels of the repatriation of 750 undocumented Filipinos were sent back from Sandakan to Zamboanga City on Tuesday.
Reports said the Filipino expatriates were previously detained in various centers since 2020 for violating Malaysia’s travel requirements.
The embassy said it would continue to work with the Sabah authorities and other Philippine government agencies to ensure the safe return of the affected Filipinos.