HIGHLIGHTS
- DFA might be able to charter a flight from Melbourne if they can assemble a minimum of 150 people
- Airfare to Philippines will be fully funded by the Philippine government
- Slot will be on a first come first serve basis
Deputy Consul General Anthony Achilles Mandap shares the details of their plan in an interview with SBS Filipino and says his office received many requests from stranded Filipinos in Victoria asking for their assistance.
"We have a plan to organise a repatriation flight since we have been receiving a lot of requests from people asking for this kind of assistance," he says.
With international and interstate borders closed, Mr Mandap adds he spoke to DFA Manila about the matter and the department said they might be able to charter a flight from Melbourne if they can assemble a minimum of 150 people.
“I spoke to our home office in Manila and they say if we could assemble a good number of people, a minimum of 150 people they might be able to charter a flight to repatriate them to Philippines.”
As per Mr Mandap’s statement on Tuesday with SBS Filipino, about 175 Filipinos have expressed their interest.
“Aside from the 60 names we have previously received, we have 115 requests by email. That brings us to 175 I think that should be a sufficient number but we’re waiting for more emails to come.”
Airfare cost to be paid by the Philippine government
Mr Mandap made it clear that should the plan materialise, the airfare will be fully funded by the Philippine government.
“This will be fully funded by the Philippine government particularly by the DFA.”
Safety of return travellers against COVID-19
Mr Mandap says while there is no guarantee in terms of safety against the virus, protocols are in place to control it.
"We cannot ensure safety against the virus but there are also ways that we can do to control the transport of people that’s infected and there are precautions in place to ensure we are not carrying a plane loaded with infected individuals," he says.
Who gets to fly back?
Mr Mandap says the slot will be on a first come first serve basis.
“As of now we do it on a first come first serve basis. It’s hard to prioritise because they have their own reasons to go home. As of now, the policy is to admit everyone who wants to return.”
Mr Mandap adds that if their office gets more than the minimum number of return travellers, then the department might consider chartering a bigger plane or a possibility of another flight back to the Philippines.
“It’s possible to have a second repatriation flight. If they find out that we have more than the minimum number that we needed, we might consider that or we could charter a bigger plane.”
We hear your cry
Mr Mandap says they are not deaf to the sentiment of Filipinos who are asking for assistance and with a good plan in place, they will do everything in their power to help.
“We owe it to the Filipino people. It’s been an anxious several months for us, there are so many stranded people, there are so many people who want to go home. We hear their sentiments through email and Facebook. So many Filipinos belong to this category anxious to go home but doesn’t have any opportunity.”
The is urging Filipinos who are stuck in Victoria and have no means to travel back to the Philippines to contact their office immediately.
