Philippine government sends aid to OFWs in locked down Shanghai

There are an estimated 4,000 Filipinos in Shanghai

The Philippines is sending aid to Filipino workers affected by the weeks-long lockdown in Shanghai, China, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Saturday, April 23.

“Nagpadala po tayo ng pagkain at medisina sa kanila (We have sent them food and medicine),” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a Laging Handa briefing.

While the DOLE has no presence in China, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) identified the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who required assistance in the area, according to Bello. He stated that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which is part of the Department of Labor, was ready to provide financial support.

“A soon as ma-identify natin sila (we identify them), upon the instruction of DFA, we will give them the usual grant of $200 per OFW,” Bello said

The Philippine consulate in Shanghai said in an April 12 release that the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government had been “doubling efforts” to attend to city residents’ concerns, particularly in their access to essential supplies

There are an estimated 4,000 Filipinos in Shanghai, the consulate said.

Due to the COVID-19 spike, the Commission on Elections also postponed the commencement of the Philippine overseas election in Shanghai, China’s largest metropolis.

The Shanghai municipal administration had previously stated on its official WeChat account that infections were exhibiting a “good trend” and that life could soon return to normal as provided as individuals followed stringent COVID-19 control measures.

Some Shanghai areas, however, have strengthened mobility restrictions. Even in communities where individuals fit the requirements for being permitted to leave, officials ordered them to stay behind, straining emotions among families who had been isolated for weeks.