TOUCHED DOWN. Government officials wave Philippine flags as a chartered flight from Wuhan, China arrived at the Haribon Hangar in Clark Air Base iin Clark at around 7 a.m. on Sunday (Feb. 9, 2020). The repatriates, as well as the flight crew and the 10-man team who accompanied them, will undergo the prescribed 14-day quarantine in Tarlac. (Photo courtesy of DFA)
CLARK FREEPORT – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) brought back to the Philippines on Sunday a total of 30 Filipinos who wished to return home from Wuhan City, ground zero of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD).
The repatriated Filipinos on board the chartered flight which landed at the Haribon Hangar in Clark Air Base included 29 adults and an infant.
Together with the repatriates were a 10-member team from the Philippines which included two members from the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai, three members from the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (OUMWA), and five medical team members from the Department of Health (DOH).
Upon their arrival, the Filipinos were transferred from the plane into their dedicated buses, and brought to the Athlete's Village in New Clark City in Tarlac which will be their home for the 14-day quarantine period.
The DFA made an initial call for the repatriation of Filipinos in China on Jan. 28, 2020, which was facilitated by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai, the Foreign Service Post with jurisdiction over Wuhan city in Hubei province.
The Embassy and the Consulate liaised with Chinese authorities to facilitate the operation.
This past week, two representatives from the Consulate General in Shanghai had to hurdle several border provinces’ clearances along their two-day land travel to Wuhan City to coordinate with the Filipino community and the Foreign Affairs Office in Hubei Province.
Meanwhile, the team from the DFA Home Office in Manila flew into Wuhan City Saturday night, completing the team ensuring the safe return of the Filipinos. (PR)
