MAGSAYSAY and Princess Cruises welcome back to the Philippines the Filipino crew members and guests of Diamond Princess who were repatriated on February 25, 2020.

In total, 440 repatriated Filipino crew members arrived at Clark International (CRK) Airport via chartered flights from Japan. The Filipino crew members who tested positive for COVID-19 remain in Japan for further treatment and medical care. The chartered flight back from Japan included five Filipino guests/passengers from Diamond Princess.

The repatriated Filipino crew members and passengers will be staying for 14 days at the Athlete’s Village, the Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)-identified quarantine facility. The Department of Health (DOH) is the lead IATF agency in charge of the quarantine.

Branch offices of Magsaysay in the Visayas and Mindanao, representatives from Princess Cruises, and the families of the Filipino crew were briefed on Satruday, February 22, in a private gathering in Manila regarding the quarantine protocols, coordination work between the IATF member agencies, and expectations for the quarantine period. Magsaysay, together with Princess Cruises, would like to express our thanks to the Japanese government, in particular the Japan Ministry of Health, for taking care of our Filipino crew members during this global health emergency. Similarly, we both also extend our thanks and appreciation to the DOH, DFA, DOLE, DOTr, DND, OWWA, POEA, and all other agency partners in this undertaking.

“We are truly happy that our Filipino crew members are back home,” says Arnold B. Javier, President of Magsaysay Maritime Corporation. “Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone at the IATF, the Japanese government, the Philippine government, and most importantly, the family of crew – for all their confidence and trust.”

As communicated in prior statements, all crew members will continue to be compensated during the quarantine period. In addition, they will receive two months of paid time off after release from quarantine, as per Princess Cruises. Relevant expenses for the quarantine, the repatriation, and stay at the quarantine facility have been arranged ahead by Magsaysay, Princess Cruises, the IATF members agencies, and the rest of the Philippine government.