SEOUL, 12 February 2018 - The Philippine Embassy in Seoul successfully facilitated the return of Mr. Vladimir Pediengco, a Filipino overseas worker under the Employment Permit System (EPS), to the Philippines. Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez personally phoned Mr. Pediengco to wish him a safe travel and swift full recovery.

Mr. Pediengco, who met an accident on 28 December 2017, was admitted at the Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Gumi City, North Gyeongsang Province for over a month. He underwent cervical spine column surgery and was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for two weeks.

On 8 February, Mr. Pediengco was assisted by the Embassy's Welfare Officer, Ms. Manuela Pena and the President of the community organization Filipino Migrant Workers of Kumi (FIMWAK), Mr. Woody Ferrer delas Alas. The wife of Mr. Pediengco, Ms. Lorelyn Montanez-Pediengco, also an OFW from Hong Kong, flew to Korea to escort her husband back to the Philippines.

Mr. Pediengco was met at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by OWWA medical personnel and was transferred on a flight to Bacolod City the following day. Upon arrival in Bacolod, he was assisted by personnel from OWWA-Bacolod and Talisay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO). He was then brought to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital for a check-up before finally going home.

The Philippine Embassy's Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Section and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), through Welfare Officer Manuela Pena, were in constant coordination with Mr. Pediengco and his carers all throughout the process. The Embassy also facilitated the arrival to Korea of Mrs. Pediengco.

The medical repatriation, including the endorsement to the local OWWA units, was successfully undertaken by the Embassy through the combined efforts of the POLO and the ATN Section.


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