10 DECEMBER 2020 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - In line with its continuing engagement with the Filipino diaspora amidst the ongoing global pandemic, the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam successfully held a Webinar entitled “Returning to the Philippines during COVID-19 Pandemic” on 03 December 2020.

The webinar aimed to inform the Filipino community in Brunei Darussalam of the guidelines and protocols to be followed when departing the Sultanate and arriving in the Philippines.  

In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador Christopher B. Montero underscored the importance of equipping overseas Filipino with the important information that would assist them in planning their flight back to the Philippines in order to avoid instances where they are barred from boarding their flights due to the expired COVID-19 swab test or failure to register at the OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS).

Labor Attaché Ms. Melissa C. Mendizabal and Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Officer Mark T. Arinquin served as resource speakers and gave presentations on the step-by-step procedures that should be done before an OFW is cleared and given the approval to board the flight from Brunei Darussalam. Labor Attaché Mendizabal also gave a brief presentation on financial and education benefits that an OFW may avail upon their return to the Philippines.

A testimonial by Ms. Lorena Batistil, an OFW who recently returned to the Philippines, citing the efforts of the Inter-agency Task Force on COVID-19 to ensure smooth arrival procedures for returning overseas Filipinos was also shown during the webinar. An open forum followed the presentations. END