Dozens of Filipino deportees arrive in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Dozens of Filipinos deported by the Malaysian authorities arrived here by boat Sunday as the local government braces for thousands more as Sabah started sending home illegal immigrants.

Zamboanga City social workers attend to dozens of Filipino deportees who arrived July 5, 2020 in Zamboanga City from Sabah in Malaysia in this photo released by the local government. 

Mayor Beng Climaco said at least 97 deportees were ferried back home after 300 others who are natives of the southern Tawi-Tawi province disembarked in Bongao town.

She said out of the 97 deportees, only a dozen are residents of Zamboanga and the rest are from the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and other regions. “Those who are not from here were fetched by (representatives of) their local governments,” she said.

Climaco said local deportees were immediately brought to a quarantine facility as part of the strict health protocols before they are sent home. “We want to ensure they are free from the Covid disease before they return to their families,” she said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said the first batch of deportees – all 395 of them – had undergone Covid-19 rapid testing in Sabah prior to their departure, but they still need to undertake coronavirus testing again when they reach the country as part of the government’s health protocols.

Sabah is set to deport some 5,300 Filipinos illegally staying in the rich Malaysian state just several hours by boat from Tawi-Tawi. They are now being held at four congested jails after it temporarily suspended the repatriation since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Zamboanga Post)

Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates