Philippine Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo told Philippine news portal Inquirer.net that the “undocumented migrants” will be deported beginning February.
During Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to Malaysia on Nov 9 and 10 last year, he was reported to have struck a deal with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to allow the mass deportation of undocumented Filipinos in Sabah.
The two leaders agreed to a “gradual” deportation, with the Philippine president giving his full cooperation and Najib committing to use naval ships to send the Filipinos back, reported the news portal.
Taguiwalo said Malaysian authorities were finalising preparations for the mass deportations from Sandakan to Zamboanga.
“We will provide them with assistance that is within the means of the department to make sure their immediate economic needs are met,” Taguiwalo said yesterday.
She said personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were mobilising troops to provide aid to the thousands of deportees who will be arriving in Zamboanga.
She added that the returning migrant workers would be given food, medical assistance and information on the department’s services which would be provided to them.