Overseas Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic

Overseas Filipinos, including Filipino migrant workers outside the Philippines, has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 28, 2020, there have been 8,433 confirmed COVID-19 cases of Filipino citizens residing outside the Philippines with 538 deaths and 5,081 recoveries.[1] The official count from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on the cases of overseas Filipinos is not included in the national tally of the Philippine government.[2] Repatriates on the other hand, are listed separately by the Department of Health (DOH) from regional counts despite being included in the national tally.

Overseas Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic
Countries and territories with Filipino cases[map note 1]
  Confirmed Filipino cases
  Philippines
  No case or no information
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationWorldwide
(excluding the Philippines)
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Index caseFebruary 5, 2020
(4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
aboard the Diamond Princess (off the coast of Yokohama, Japan)
Confirmed cases8,433
Active cases2,814
Recovered5,081
Deaths
538
Territories
59 countries

Background

The DFA provides information regarding the number of Filipino nationals abroad to have contracted COVID-19 and keeps an official tally of confirmed cases by region instead of by country. As of June 28, there have been 8,433 overseas Filipinos residing from 59 different countries and territories that tested positive for COVID-19.[1] This count is not included in the national tally of cases provided by the DOH.

The DFA collects information regarding the Filipino nationals with COVID-19 from its diplomatic posts abroad which in turn rely information from the patients themselves, their relatives and Filipino expatriate communities. Efforts to collect and disseminate data by the DFA is hampered due to the prohibition of classifying patients by nationality in some countries as well as requests by some Filipino patients for strict confidentiality regarding their situation. A small number of the DFA's COVID-19 tally has been verified by the Department of Health International Health Regulations (DOH-IHR).[3]

The first confirmed case of a Filipino national outside the Philippines was announced by the DFA on February 5, 2020. It involves a crew member of the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.[4]

Cases by region
Confirmed cases of Filipino nationals outside the Philippines ()
Region[lower-alpha 1] Cases Active Recov. Deaths
Middle East and Africa[lower-alpha 2] 6168 2113 3777 278
Europe[lower-alpha 3] 982 468 420 94
Americas[lower-alpha 4] 686 149 373 164
Asia-Pacific[lower-alpha 5] 597 84 511 2
Total 8433 2814 5081 538
Note: Data as of June 28, 2020.[1]
For notes, see the Notes section.

Asia Pacific

In the Asia Pacific region, outside the Diamond Princess, at least one Filipino case has been confirmed in Australia,[5] Bangladesh,[6] Brunei,[7] mainland China,[8] Japan,[9][10] South Korea,[11] Hong Kong,[12] Macau,[13] India,[7] Malaysia,[14] and Singapore.[15]

Following an international tabligh convention held from February 7 to March 1, 2020, at the Jamek Sri Petaling mosque near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the DFA reported that 19 Filipinos who attended the convention tested positive and were quarantined in Malaysia. Two others managed to return to the Philippines and later tested positive by Philippine health authorities.[14]

In Singapore, at least 134 Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19.[16]

In Japan, at least 28 "land-based" Filipinos mostly based in Osaka were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. 121 others Filipinos, who are seafarers of Diamond Princess in docked off the coast of Yokohama and the Costa Atlantica in Osaka also tested positive for COVID-19. No fatality was recorded in Japan as of June 15.[10]

Middle East and Africa

In the Middle East at least one Filipino case has been recorded in Egypt,[17] Kuwait,[18] Lebanon,[19] Libya,[20] Qatar,[21] Saudi Arabia,[22] and the United Arab Emirates.[23] One notable case in the region was that of Philippine ambassador to Lebanon, Bernardita Catalla, who died on April 2 in Beirut due to complications from COVID-19 and chronic respiratory problems.[24]

One of the most affected country in the region is Saudi Arabia where at least 119 Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19, and at least five died from the disease.[22] The Philippine embassy in Riyadh's office of labor affairs announced on June 14 its temporarily closure after six of its staff tested positive for COVID-19.[25]

In the United Arab Emirates, at least 40 Filipinos have died from COVID-19 in Dubai alone. [26]

Europe

In Europe, at least one Filipino case has been confirmed in France,[27] Germany,[28] Greece,[29] Ireland,[30] Spain,[31][32] Switzerland,[33] and the United Kingdom.[34] On March 23, Philippine Council for Foreign Relations President Alan Ortiz died in Paris, France.[27]

Some Filipinos in Italy were also reported to have contracted COVID-19, although the exact number of cases cannot be disclosed due to privacy law in Italy.[35] In Spain, at least 82 Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19, while six have died from the disease.[32]

In the United Kingdom, there are at least 573 Filipinos, including dual nationals and ethnic Filipinos who holds no Philippine-citizenship who tested positive for COVID-19. At least 78 of this figure died from the disease. In Ireland, there are at least 80 confirmed Filipino COVID-19 cases, and three deaths.[36]

Americas

In the United States, it was confirmed that six Filipinos aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, which docked in Oakland, California for quarantine, had contracted the virus.[37] On March 13, a Filipino working in New York as a diplomat with the Philippines' UN mission was confirmed to be positive for the virus, which led to the entire mission at the Philippine Center being disinfected and closed for the day.[38] Filipino Americans have been among the hardest hit ethnic groups with COVID-19.[39]

In Canada, at least 200 Filipinos contracted COVID-19 as of mid-May 2020.[40]

Some Filipinos in the Caribbean also reportedly tested positive for the disease. [41]

Repatriation
Main article: Evacuations by the Philippines related to the COVID-19 pandemic
Repatriated Filipinos disembark their plane at Clark Air Base, Pampanga on February 9.[42]

The Philippine national government has repatriated citizens from various COVID-19 affected countries and cruise ships. As of April 13, at least 13,000 Overseas Filipino Workers have been repatriated according to the DFA.[43] Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier, has volunteered several repatriation flights as early as March.[44]

The first of such efforts by the government involved repatriating Filipino nationals in Hubei, China. The government began the repatriation process on January 18.[45] Upon arrival in the Philippines, individuals underwent mandatory quarantine for 14 days.[46]

The Athlete's Village at the New Clark City Sports Hub which also has a clinic run by the Philippine General Hospital was chosen as the quarantine site for repatriated Filipinos and New Clark City was locked down on February 6 in preparation for the arrival of the repatriated.[47]

Impact

According to the OWWA, around 300,000 to 400,000 OFWs are estimated to be affected by the pandemic either from pay-cuts, lay-offs, and repatriation. Remittances from OFWs to the Philippine economy which would have served as a cushion to the pandemic's other economic impact is also likewise to be affected. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the country's central bank, projects a 2 to 3 percent decline from last year. In 2019, remittance from OFWs amounted to $33.9 billion or almost ten percent of the Philippines' gross domestic product.[48] The National Economic and Development Authority, then under Secretary Ernesto Pernia projects a $6.7 billion to $10 billion loss in remittance.[49] Around 20,000 Filipino seafarers across the world has also lost their jobs.[50]

Notes
  1. The Department of Foreign Affairs does not maintain an official tally with breakdown by country/territory due to varying legislation by country though it gives the number of affected countries/territory in four given geographic regions. Not all affected areas may be reflected in the map. Areas that are noted to have at least one Filipino case are reported by various reliable sources.

DFA tally notes
  1. The DFA's data does not provide a breakdown of cases by country; instead, cases are consolidated by region.
  2. Recorded from 20 countries.
  3. Recorded from 16 countries.
  4. Recorded from 6 countries, including those identified on Grand Princess.
  5. Recorded from 17 countries.

References
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  2. "COVID-19 cases among OFWs reach 5,184". CNN Philippines. May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  3. Cabuag, V. G. (March 26, 2020). "PSEi back in 5K points on BSP moves | VG Cabuag". BusinessMirror.
  4. Mabasa, Roy (February 10, 2020). "DFA confirms 1st case of Filipino positive for nCoV". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  5. Aguilar, Krissy. "37 out of 38 Filipinos in Australia infected with COVID-19 have recovered – envoy". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  6. "Philippine citizen with COVID-19 symptoms dies in Bangladesh". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh.
  7. "2 Filipinos test positive for COVID-19 in Brunei, India". CNN Philippines. March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  8. Lopez, Virgin (June 12, 2020). "Filipino community in mainland China COVID-free –envoy". GMA News. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  9. "120 overseas Filipinos infected with COVID-19 – DOH". GMA News.
  10. Esguerra, Darryl John (June 15, 2020). "No Filipino fatality due to COVID-19 in Japan — envoy". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  11. "Philippine embassy reports first Filipino COVID-19 case in Korea". GMA News.
  12. "Another OFW in Hong Kong tests positive for coronavirus: DFA official". ABS-CBN News. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  13. Esguerra, Darryl John. "OFW is Macau's 15th COVID-19 case". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  14. Cabrera, Ferdinandh (March 23, 2020). "19 Filipino tablighs positive for COVID-19 quarantined in Malaysia". MindaNews. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
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  16. Obanil, Rizal (June 14, 2020). "92 Filipinos recover from COVID-19 in Singapore". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
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  27. Tomacruz, Sofia (March 23, 2020). "PH Council for Foreign Relations president Alan Ortiz dies of coronavirus". Rappler. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
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  29. Cabico, Gaea Katreena (March 18, 2020). "Filipino tests positive for COVID-19 in Greece". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  30. "Another Pinoy dies of COVID-19 in Ireland". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  31. "CBCP: Filipino priest, 72, dies of COVID-19 in Spain". ABS-CBN News.
  32. Mabasa, Roy (June 8, 2020). "32 out of 82 Filipinos with COVID-19 in Spain have recovered". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  33. "Pinay mula sa Italy na nagpositibo ng Covid-19, naka-quarantine sa isang hospital sa Switzerland" [Filipina from Italy positive for Covid-19, quarantined at a hospital in Switzerland]. Bombo Radyo Philippines (in Filipino). March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
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  39. David, E.J. (April 15, 2020). "5 Ways COVID-19 Might Be Affecting Filipino Americans". Psychology Today. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
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