DAVAO CITY –— Another five hundred ninety-nine (599) seafarers from Carnival cruise ships Dream, Fantasy, Vista, Panorama, and Glory were welcomed by the DFA today at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Monday, April 6.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the repatriation is not yet done as more will be coming even during the Holy Week.
The seafarers underwent a thorough mandatory inspection by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) upon disembarkation. As per protocol for non-COVID stricken ships, they will be subjected to home-based quarantine, under close monitoring by the Department of Health (DOH).
Seafarers who reside outside Manila will be billeted to predetermined and BOQ-inspected hotels to observe the 14-day quarantine period.
DFA facilitated the repatriation of the seafarers spearheaded by the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. and United Philippine Lines (UPL), the manning agency of the Carnival cruise ships.
The repatriation of seafarers remains a concerted effort by the DFA together with its major partner agencies, notably, OWWA, DOH, BI, and DOTr.
The 599 seafarers all came from New Orleans, USA, where the Carnival cruise ships were docked before they were flown to the Philippines via Addis Ababa on board Ethiopian Airlines.-NewsLine
