MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday said it is looking to bring home the remains of 274 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have died due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and other natural causes in Saudi Arabia on July 4.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they are doing their best to meet all the necessary requirements for the release of the bodies in the kingdom.
“We are doing our best to meet all the requirements such as health protocols, exit visa, and approval of employers and the next of kin. We have to get all of these and try to bring them home by July 4,” he said in a Laging Handa briefing.
The number includes 129 workers who succumbed to Covid-19 and 145 others who died of natural causes.
“By July 4, the remains of our beloved kababayans should have been flown back to the Philippines, otherwise it will be the Saudi government that will bury our countrymen,” Bello said.
He added that the bodies of the OFWs particularly those who have died due to Covid-19, will be sealed inside a body bag and casket based on the standard set by the World Health Organization.
“The body bags and the caskets will be sealed. The body bags and caskets before putting the bodies inside will be disinfected. The protocol is very strict,” the DOLE secretary added.
Upon arrival in the country, Bello said the remains will immediately be brought to a crematorium.
“Once they arrive, they will go straight to the crematorium because that is the recommendation of the Department of Health, if one dies from infectious disease, the body should be created within 24 hours,” he added.
Last week, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has given its green light to bring back home the remains of OFWs who succumbed to Covid-19. (PNA)
