MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday, March 26, announced that 13 Filipino students from coronavirus-hit countries have safely arrived in the Philippines. 

“In these extremely challenging times, the good news that we are able to bring our students home is a testament that the Filipino bayanihan spirit is alive and well,” CHED Chairperson Prosepero De Vera III said in a statement.

Among the students repatriated were as follows:

• Five Aklan State University students who were in Hokkaido, Japan, for an international internship under the Student Internship Abroad Program. They arrived on Thursday and were brought to a temporary accommodation for self-quarantine. 

• Five Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management students of the College of Management in Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University who are currently interns in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. They have returned to La Union and are staying at a temporary quarantine facility for 14 days before returning to their respective residences.

• Three faculty/staff members of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) who were scholars of the Dual PhD by Research Program of UPLB and the University of Reading (UoR) in the United Kingdom. Upon arrival in the country on March 18, the students underwent the required immigration procedures at the airport and were driven to their homes or temporary residences to start their 14-day self-quarantine period.

According to CHED, they have been coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health to inform them of the students and their status as persons under monitoring.

“All other state universities and colleges must continue to monitor their students who are still abroad and coordinate with CHED so we can assist in bringing them home, if needed,” De Vera said. 

As of Thursday, the Philippines has 707 confirmed cases, 45 of whom have died while 28 have recovered. 

Globally, the number of coronavirus cases has reached more than 481,300, with 21,873 deaths and at least 107,100 recoveries. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com