The Covid-19 pandemic affected the lives of the repatriated Filipino migrant workers

Philippines – In 2020, thousands of Filipino migrant workers had been repatriated to the Philippines during the initial months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many workers spent months stranded at home, unemployed, and dependent on their previous earnings because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Abegail received the call that she could finally return to her job as a bartender for an Italian cruise line. It was a huge relief for the Filipino cruise workers because, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic left Abegail unemployed.

In recent months, many countries have eased border closures, lifted travel restrictions, and various industries have gradually reopened. Reportedly, in 2021, Filipino migrant workers abroad sent home a record inflow of $31.4 billion in remittances, contributing cash fuel to local economic recovery.

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The Covid-19 pandemic affected the lives of Filipino migrant workers, who aspired to work abroad and those who were repatriated home. Their job contracts were cancelled as the cruise line industry came to a halt.

According to the new mandala, the Covid-19 pandemic was a huge blow for the Philippines, a major source country of migrant workers and a top supplier of seafarers. As more Filipino migrant workers lost their jobs and became stranded abroad, the Philippine government carried out a series of mass repatriations.

According to the interview conducted by the new mandala, cruise workers suffered more due to the Covid-19 pandemic as they spent months of prolonged strandedness at home.

Reportedly, the Philippine government announced cash assistance and reintegration programs to help repatriated migrant workers. However, not all workers were able to get this benefit. Some workers were told that they would have to wait longer for cash assistance as the government’s funds were running out. Some workers who received this benefit said that the amount of cash provided was only enough to cover a short period of time in the pandemic.