DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The government of Indonesia has repatriated at least 45 Filipino fishermen who have been detained in Bitung City in Manado, North Sulawesi.
The Filipinos, who were earlier arrested for encroaching into Indonesian territorial waters, arrived in the county over the weekend.
In return, the Philippines also repatriated 11 Indonesians, including nuns, who were studying in Davao City when the lockdown was imposed in March due to the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
The 11 Indonesians boarded a military plane that took off from Davao City on Friday.
After delivering the passengers, the plane proceeded to Manado to pick up the fishermen, who were brought to General Santos.
The coordinated repatriations were facilitated by both the Indonesian and Philippine consulates.
Both Indonesian and Filipino repatriates underwent swab tests before they were allowed to board the aircraft.
The repatriations were supposed to be implemented in June, but were delayed due to problems in logistics.