MANILA - A total of 382 Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates were flown back home Friday via the government's first repatriation flight for the month, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

A DFA-chartered Cebu Pacific flight flew the repatriates home, which included 7 pregnant women, the DFA said in a statement.

"The DFA and partner agencies continue to work closely together to ensure that our distressed kababayans are repatriated and brought home safely, taking into consideration the interest of public health." DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola

The repatriates "arrived in high spirits and were relieved to be soon returning home to their families," the DFA said.

This flight is the 8th repatriation flight from the UAE since June 2021, the agency added.

The chartered flights are projects of the DFA through its Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, it said.

To date, the team has brought back a total of 4,106 Filipinos from the UAE since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Repatriates were assisted by various government agencies upon arrival. They were also provided with $200 (P10,000) reintegration assistance, the DFA said.

All passengers will undergo quarantine in compliance with the country's health protocols, the statement said.

Five more DFA-chartered repatriation flights are scheduled this month for Filipinos in the UAE who wish to return to the Philippines.

Those interested in joining the said flights should coordinate with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, the DFA said.

In December 2020, the DFA said over 300,000 Filipino workers have been repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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