HOMEBOUND. General Santos City International Airport personnel assist stranded tourists from parts of Region 12 (Soccsksargen) in boarding a chartered aircraft of the Platinum Skies Aviation, Inc. bound for Manila on Friday (April 10, 2020). The “sweeper flight”, arranged by the Department of Tourism, accommodated 30 foreigners and an overseas Filipino worker bound for Singapore. (Photo grab from the Facebook page of the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – At least 30 stranded foreign tourists and an outbound overseas Filipino worker (OFW) were flown out from this city to Manila on Good Friday through a special flight facilitated by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Leonard Flores, head of the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office, said on Saturday the foreigners were among the documented tourists who were stranded in parts of Region 12 (Soccsksargen) due to the grounding of domestic flights since last month.
The flight suspensions were due to the lockdowns implemented in Luzon and other parts of the country in the wake of the increasing confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Flores said DOT-12 personnel were able to account for at least 30 stranded foreigners in coordination with the tourism offices of local government units.
He said they were composed of seven Japanese, five Germans, five Malaysians, three Dutch, three Korean-Filipinos, two British, two Canadian-Filipinos, a Danish, a Swede, and an Australian-Filipino.
Most of the foreign tourists previously stayed in this city while the others were located in Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Tacurong City, Flores added.
“All of them were issued with medical certificates by concerned city and municipal health offices and submitted evidence that they are fit to travel,” he said in a statement.
Flores said the foreigners, along with a stranded OFW bound for Singapore, left the city international airport here at past 9 a.m. aboard a chartered flight of the Platinum Skies Aviation, Inc.
He said the DOT-led “sweeper flight” arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at about 11 a.m.
The special flight was arranged by DOT-12 with the help of the city government, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Police Regional Office 12, and the Soccsksargen Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19. (PNA)
