ALMOST P2.5 billion in aid has been distributed to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the global coronavirus pandemic, according to the Labor department.

“So far, P2.492 billion had already been disbursed benefiting 243,326 displaced OFWs who were either still on-site or those already repatriated,” the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said on Sunday.

Beneficiaries receive a one-time cash assistance of P10,000.

Meanwhile, DoLE reported that 173,088 OFWs have been assisted for their return to their home provinces as of August 29.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, for its part, said another 700 Filipinos arrived from abroad last week, bringing the total number of repatriated to more than 153,000.

This includes 57,595 seafarers and 95,529 land-based workers who have come home since February. — Gillian M. Cortez and Charmaine A. Tadalan

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