Stranded Filipinos in UAE told to apply for repatriation flights

Dubai: Filipinos stranded in the UAE due to the prolonged journey restrictions imposed by the Philippine authorities can apply to be included in the three remaining out there repatriation flights this month.

A chartered flight funded by the Philippine authorities is scheduled to depart Dubai on Monday, July 12, however it's already totally booked. Limited seats, nonetheless, are nonetheless left for the repatriation flights scheduled on July 17, July 27 and July 30.

Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes told Gulf News: “The Philippine missions in the UAE continue to receive requests for repatriation and the Philippine government is working on all possible options to accommodate these requests in the soonest possible time.”

“They (stranded Filipinos) can send in their google forms for inclusion in our repatriation list and the Consulate will schedule their return according to the repatriation flight schedules as coordinated by the DFA (Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs) in Manila,” he added.

Priority checklist

According to a joint advisory launched by the Philippine missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, seats are restricted and precedence can be given to medical sufferers with no medical insurance; pregnant ladies on their third trimester with no medical insurance coverage; households with kids; and people with expired or expiring visas who shouldn't have the flexibility to apply for a short lived visa.

Those who want to apply for repatriation might ship an electronic mail to atn6abudhabi@gmail.com for these dwelling in Abu Dhabi and atn@pcgdubai.ae for these residing in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Cancel journey plans

Because of the journey restrictions, the Philippine missions have requested their countrymen to forego any plans of travelling house “unless absolutely necessary.”

Around 350 folks may be accommodated in every repatriation flight and the Philippine Consulate in Dubai has an allocation for solely 200 passengers. The most up-to-date repatriation flight was on June 30, carrying 349 passengers aboard Philippine Airlines (PAL flight PR8659).

Extended journey ban

Regular business flights between the UAE and Philippines are cancelled till July 15, following the choice by the Philippine authorities to “extend the ban on travellers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman and the UAE until July 15.”

The Philippine authorities had first imposed restrictions on inbound journey from the seven nations from May 15 till May 31, in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and to forestall the unfold of the extremely transmissible Delta coronavirus variant that first emerged in India. The journey ban was first prolonged till June 15, then stretched till June 30 earlier than prolonging it additional till July 15.

#LiftUAEBan

Meanwhile, hundreds of stranded Filipinos have signed a web based petition searching for to carry the journey restrictions imposed by Manila instantly.

Until Friday, the net petition titled ‘Lift the UAE ban! It’s our proper to go house’, has garnered round 3,400 digital signatures.

Their assertion learn: “We the abroad Filipino residents primarily based and dealing in the UAE, would really like to name upon the Philippine authorities to hear our voice to carry the journey ban from UAE to Philippines.

“We Filipinos citizens have the rights to come home to our own country and without any difficulties in travelling. We Filipino citizens in the UAE are vaccinated and safe.”

“Let us join and gather signatures so that the Philippine government hear our voices to lift the ban for us overseas Filipino Workers and Filipino Nationalities travelling from the UAE to the Philippines. Let’s fight for our rights #LiftUAEban.”