135 DISTRESSED FILIPINOS FROM PCG’S JURISDICTION INCLUDED

NANJING CITY, 14 May 2021 – As coordinator for the government-chartered repatriation flight, the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai provided on-ground support for the repatriation today of 155 Filipinos from all over China, via Nanjing.

Related Story: DFA Brings Home 155 Filipinos from China

Working under the guidance of the Department of Foreign Affairs and in concert with Philippine consular officials in Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Chongqing, the operation relieved the plight of Filipinos unable to return to the Philippines due to continued suspension of regular flights.

Included among the 155 repatriates were 135 Filipinos being assisted by the Consulate General within its jurisdiction: 116 from Shanghai, 11 from Zhejiang Province and 8 from Jiangsu Province.

A convoy of buses arranged by the Consulate left Shanghai in the morning and arrived at Nanjing Lukuo International Airport four hours later. The Consulate General’s seven-person team was on hand as well to receive and assist the Filipino repatriates coming from other parts of China, including nine from Beijing, three from Xiamen, two from Guangzhou and one from Chongqing.

The Consulate distributed packed meals and refreshments as well for all repatriates, both for the overland journey to Nanjing and the wait time until boarding.

“We are elated that, with this repatriation flight by the Philippine government in close coordination with Chinese authorities, a significant number of our countrymen stranded in China were finally able to go home to be reunited with their families”, said Consul General Josel F. Ignacio as the operation in Nanjing wrapped up. “The cooperation between the Consulate General and Chinese counterparts for this operation affords us a good model to build upon, in the pursuit of our respective mandates, especially where certain specific goals coincide”.
The repatriates flew out of Nanjing via Philippine Airlines flight PR 8430 at 7:00 pm.

This is the sixth flight chartered by the DFA to date for Filipinos stranded in China, with four from the mainland and two from Macau, as COVID-19-related measures continue to prompt travel disruptions. Since the outbreak in February 2020 up to May 13, 2021, the DFA has repatriated 400,958 Filipinos from various parts of the world.

While in Nanjing, Consul General Ignacio, accompanied by Consul Marlowe A. Miranda, paid a brief visit to the Jiangsu Provincial Foreign Affairs Office also in Nanjing City to personally thank local officials for supporting the entry of the charter flight, in coordination with Chinese central authorities. END