Close to a hundred Filipinos staying in Dubai and its neighboring northern emirates are among first three batches of visit visa holders to be flown home by the Philippine government through a rapid repatriation program initiated a few weeks back.
This was learned from Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes who told reporters that the first batch, a group of 13 visit visa holders left Dubai this morning, Tuesday April 28 on board a commercial Emirates Airlines flight that was expected to land at Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at around 10:10pm tonight.
The second batch, he said, was scheduled to leave on Thursday April 30 while the third, comprised of over 50 visit visa holders will leave on May 3.
“They write us about wanting to return; we interview to make sure walang encumbrances (utang or police case) so kung tourist visa usually wala naman; we determine kung talagang desidido; and if really intending to return we book earliest ticket,” Cortes said, explaining the repatriation process.
He added: “Those who write us about repatriation, if they really want to go home, the earliest would be May 6 Because April 30 and May 3 are already full.”
Cortes further said that “it’s not a matter of who we choose to go home but who is able to be booked first depending on their interest and depending on whether they are cleared to leave the country.”
Cortes said resident visa holders may want to check on their status whether there are cases pending against them – “criminal or civil cases depending on your credit card loans or bank loans or whatever, before you can actually leave.”
“Which is why, he added, “the easiest to bring home would be the tourist visa or the visit visa holders whose visas have not yet expired.
“Otherwise double checking their status or their capacity to be issued and out of clearance will take another set of procedures not just on the part of the Consulate but also on the part of the host government.”
Most Filipinos make use of the UAE government’s open policy of issuing visit visas to enter the country and look for jobs. But current COVID-19 conditions appear to be proving too challenging for them to make it, considering their dwindling financial resources.
The Daily Bread 