Thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been made redundant because of Covid-19. However, the all-enduring Filipino safety net during crises – the family – soldiered migrant breadwinners to confront uncertain economic futures, with love.

Some repatriated OFWs recently shared their experiences during a Scalabrini Migration Center in Manila. Wilfredo Pamposa who came back from Saudi Arabia was one of those who attended the event. from two bankrupt Saudi Arabian construction firms had left him without any money even before the pandemic.

To make things worse, Wilfredo’s iqama (the Kingdom’s permit for employment visa holders) had expired. Since 2019, he and fellow Filipino workers had been economically immobile: “I was on standby for a year, remitting nothing to my family.” 

Raising funds through whatever means necessary, Wilfredo miraculously paid the penalty for his expired iqama and his exit visa fees. With the help of Philippine diplomatic and labour personnel in Riyadh, he was repatriated in May.

Wilfredo’s tone grew hushed as he narrated this story during the webinar. After at least a year of being away from his family, he finally slept on Philippine soil, albeit during a nine-day quarantine at a small motel in Quezon City.

When the negative swab test result came out, wife Grace cried out in glee. “What’s important is that he’s back home safe – even without money,” she says. The trip from the motel to their rented apartment in Antipolo City had finally ended Wilfredo’s years of financial despair.

“A grieving process that will take time”

Wilfredo’s story reveal a “grieving process” that returned OFWs have to go through, explains veteran OFW counsellor Fr. Nilo Tanalega, S.J. of the .

“A job and a dream were both lost,” Fr. Nilo tells OFW couples during the webinar.

Fr. Nilo recommends constant communication between couples at these time of reintegration, when quarantines and other restrictions are also in place. This approach, he adds, is a “process that will take time for them to adjust and adapt to family life again.”

“Remember, the OFW is accustomed to living alone. Then he or she went back abruptly,” Fr. Nilo reminds couples.

The pandemic and the resulting quarantines OFWs faced saw them at risk of mental health problems. for example “are serious matters,” Fr. Nilo says. He advises couples with repatriated OFW breadwinners to ask themselves how they and their families should soldier on.

Economically, for example, he urges OFW couples to ask themselves during this pandemic: “How will we know if what we have is enough for us [Paano natin malalaman na sapat na iyan para sa inyo��?”

Time for family despite economic loss

For the Pamposa family, Wilfredo’s repatriation was something they looked forward to. “We’re happy even without money. At least he’s back home [Masaya po kami kahit walang pera. At least nakauwi na],” a teary-eyed Grace uttered. “We can earn money once again. What’s important is he’s safe [Iyung pera naman, mapagkikitaan uli iyan. Ang importante, ligtas siya��.”&�Բ�����;

“I tended to an ‘ihaw-ihaw’ (street food) stall,” before the pandemic, Grace Pamposa shares. Schooling had been stopped for two of their three children since 2019 who earn from tutoring neighbourhood children.

The support of family is much needed at this time when over 200,000 repatriated land- and sea-based OFWs have been laid off from work. According to the Department of Labor and Employment,   The agency provides a one-time £152 ($200) cash aid to eligible workers.

Struggles at sea

In March, seafarer Archie Arce saw his cruise ship grounded just a month from his return to active duty, with .

Docked for five weeks by required quarantine measures, Archie – now back home – is unsure how to make ends meet. He is keenly aware that in Caloocan City where he lives, everyone appears to be running an online business. “I still can’t think of a business until now because many, many people here are now doing business online [Wala kaming maisip na puwedeng business. Dami na kasing nago-online��.”

Wife Regine (a church volunteer) and their 16-year-old daughter comforted their “sad” father with smiles upon his stepping foot in their humble abode. “Finally [Sa wakas],” Regine said gleefully, “you’re here! We’ll take care of you.” They have decided not to send their daughter back to school “until the financial support comes back.”

Family bonding and prayer

And with Filipinos still perplexed at the uncertainties their immediate futures hold, 28-year-old seafarer Teodoro Rosello worries about his work. “Will we get rehired if our companies recover from this pandemic?” he asks.

But the return home, Teodoro says, “is freedom from work” for seafarers like him. Going home to Bacoor City, Cavite is “the happiest part,” and wife Charity made Teodoro’s return happier with a tight hug.

“The family’s whole again. I’m seeing my three boys again,” Teodoro said.

Yet Covid-19 forced the Teodoros to stay at home as Cavite was placed on general community quarantine. All plans for out-of-town leisure were cancelled.

Despite this, the family have been enjoying cooking and grilling together, and singing to their hearts’ delight. For now, singing seems to pacify the Teodoros’ stresses  caused by pandemic. But for how long, one can only guess.

One thing which has kept their spirits up at this time is prayer, Charity says. “During this time that we do not know what happens next, we need to cling to prayers. If before we had trust in the Lord, now all the more we need to stick to Him.”

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Additional research by

Filipinos have been one of the communities worst-affected by Covid-19 in Britain. Those working in healthcare have been particularly vulnerable to contracting and dying from the virus. But understanding the data behind the deaths is not an easy task. This is what we know so far.

How many UK Filipinos as a whole have been affected by Covid-19?

For the Filipino community as a whole, the  shows that 573 Filipinos have contracted coronavirus in the UK. Of these, 147 have recovered from the disease while 78 have died. Meanwhile, there were 348 active cases as of 20 June – the most recent date we have figures for. ŷ������ has requested for the most recent data from the Embassy but has yet to receive a reply.

So how many Filipinos work in the healthcare sector? 

We can’t say for sure. While there are thousands of Filipinos who work in the National Health Service (NHS) and in the care sector, there is no definitive data on precise numbers of Filipino healthcare workers in the UK. As of May 2020, NHS England counts .  However, the figure could actually be much higher as it excludes Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Filipinos make up the third largest nationality in the NHS after Britons and Indians.

We know that  in the healthcare sector in England. 40% of doctors, 20% of nurses and 17% of social care staff are from BAME groups.

But when it comes to Filipino nationality, things are less clear cut. For instance, 3.7% (47,671) of NHS workers have “unknown” nationality.  Some of those who may have ticked “unknown” are Filipino staff who chose not to reveal their nationality out of concern for the potential or imagined negative consequences of doing so.

Also, the term “nationality” itself has not been strictly defined by the NHS. The NHS says that the term could be interpreted as either citizenship, country of birth or cultural heritage. Hence, it is possible that some nurses of Filipino heritage may have self-reported themselves as “British” or other categories to reflect their citizenship, rather than “Filipino” to indicate their country of birth.

In their workplace data reports, the NHS also use either “nationality” or “ethnicity” which can be confusing both for staff and the public. 

And even when nationality or ethnicity is known, Filipinos might not always be counted. Official NHS healthcare staff figures exclude contracted out staff, GP practice staff, independent healthcare sector workers or those working in social care – many of whom are Filipinos. 

Plus there is no available data for Filipinos working for private health care providers. 

So how many healthcare workers as a whole have died?

A review of Covid-19 data by Public Health England revealed that  have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. The rate of infection among nurses was highest among Asian staff (3.9%), followed by other ethnic groups (3.1%), white (1.7%) and then black and mixed ethnicities (both with 1.5%).

The latest official figures show that  Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared this data himself during Prime Minister’s Question Time. Of all the UK nations, only Scotland publishes figures of NHS and care worker deaths online.

What data do we have on Filipino healthcare workers who have died?

As of this writing, a total of 57 Filipino health workers have died of unconfirmed causes. Although Filipinos only make up the third biggest ethnic group within the NHS, they have the highest number of  – based on news reports. Up to now, there has been no explanation as to why Filipinos appear to have been more vulnerable to dying from the virus as compared to their white British and Indian counterparts, the top two biggest ethnic groups within the NHS.

Official numbers are also hard to come by. There is no official data available from the NHS or the Philippine Embassy. Information on ethnicity does not have to be legally recorded on death certificates in the UK. Researchers have asked for  on death certificates as it is now clear that people from BAME backgrounds are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  
In the absence of official data on Filipino healthcare deaths, we have looked at local and national newspaper reports and social media posts to pull together some information about the 57 healthcare workers who have died. 

What do we know about the Filipino healthcare workers who died? 

We know that many Filipino healthcare staff were employed in diverse roles. But almost half of them were nurses. Next to nurses, healthcare support workers were the second biggest group to die from Covid-19, followed by carers.

Where were they based in the UK?

According to our analysis of data, most of those who died worked in London (17) and the South East of England (11). This reflects data from the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) which shows that and South East England (17.8%). Although the Midlands also has a diverse workforce (with 18.6% from the BAME community), only 4 Filipino healthcare workers died in this region.

How is data gathered on Filipinos who contract and die from coronavirus?

There is no formal way of collecting data about Filipinos who contract or die of Covid-19. Filipinos generally inform the Philippine Embassy if they or their loved ones have contracted coronavirus, or if any member of their family has died because of the disease. As for healthcare workers, information is informally collected by Filipino nursing leaders through their own networks, social media posts, the Philippine embassy, and news reports.

If you would like to report about a Filipino – healthcare worker or not – who has been taken ill or has died because of coronavirus, please get in touch with the following:

• : embassy@philemb.co.uk or london.pe@dfa.gov.ph
• :  info@kanlungan.org.uk
• You can also email us at info@tinig-uk.com. 

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The coronavirus has affected many communities. Filipinos have been particularly badly hit. Piecing together reports and research, it is clear that a large proportion of healthcare workers who have died in the UK are of Filipino origin.

Through our research, we have created a timeline that pieces together the key events that have impacted the Filipino community during the outbreak.

To do this we have cross-referenced news reports from both local and national media outlets, as well as posts from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Campaign and community organisation websites were also used to gather information. 

Some deaths were reported by the media late, and some not at all. But to the best of our knowledge, this is an accurate timeline of events.

The origins

The main events

Covid-19:  The timeline in detail

3rd April – First two Filipino healthcare workers die

Elvira Bucu, 50, . She  at her home while she was self-isolating. John Alagos, 23, was a nursing assistant at Watford General Hospital. John’s colleagues told his mother . At the time of his death he was believed to have been the youngest UK medical worker to die from the virus. His death is also believed to have been the first of a Filipino healthcare worker to be reported in the UK media.

Credit: /John Alagos

5th April – Oxfordshire Filipino community effort

 – distributes  to the NHS.

10th April – Third nurse to die in Wales

Leilani Medel, 41, was a hospital  Her husband, Johnny Medel Junior, was  after being treated for two months in the hospital for “severe coronavirus.”

20th April – Philippine Ambassador to the UK appeal

 to “ensure that those heroes that put their lives on the line for us all are 

24th April – UK broadcasters start to ask questions

Questions begin to be raised in the national media about why Filipino healthcare workers are disproportionately dying. ITV becomes  the high death rates of Filipino medical staff. This is followed by  April and the  

Early May – New group created to provide assistance to Filipinos

 is created in response to the impact of the worsening pandemic. It aims to help Filipino individuals and families affected by the UK outbreak. 

10th May – 40th Filipino Healthcare worker to die in the UK

Rustom Carpo had a nursing home  for more than ten years. 

12th May – Fundraisers start walking

, run and swim nearly 7,000 miles to raise money for the families left behind by Filipino frontline workers. So far, more than.

16th May – Important new data

A new analysis sheds fresh light on the impact of the virus on UK Pinoys. The Press Association reports that 23 of the 173 healthcare workers that  – around 13% of all healthcare deaths.  to better understand deaths from Covid-19. 

19th May – New Filipino helpline

The NHS sets up a new telephone support line to The line is managed by Tagalog-speaking counsellors and support workers.

22nd May – Anti-hate crime campaign

The  campaign is launched. It’s a new campaign . It aims to tackle the rise of hate crime against south and east Asian communities during Covid-19.

14th June – 57th Filipino healthcare worker dies

Rizal Manalo, a 51-year-old father-of-two who . Staff pay respect to him with a .

16th June – Government sees “racism” as factor in BAME coronavirus deaths 

Public Health England (PHE) releases its second report looking at the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities. contracting and dying from coronavirus. 

24th June – Kanlungan Filipino Consortium report

An extensive  focusing on the impact of the outbreak and lockdown in the UK on precarious Filipino migrants and their vulnerability to Covid-19. It includes personal stories from those who have been affected by the pandemic. 

2nd July – Filipino Nurses Association UK is founded 

for Filipino nurses to discuss issues of collective interest. They can then signpost members to the right place to help resolve their issues.

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The report confirms that people from Black and Asian backgrounds are more likely to die of coronavirus than those from White ethnic groups. However, it does not offer a definitive reason for this finding, saying that: “The relationship between ethnicity and health is complex and likely to be the result of a combination of factors.”

The report suggests that ethnic minorities have higher chances to acquire coronavirus because they are more likely to “live in urban areas, in overcrowded households, in deprived areas and have jobs that expose them to higher risk.”

One of the criticisms of the report is that it does not offer recommendations to reduce the risks faced by ethnic minorities. But what most has raised Filipinos’ concern is that they are lumped together with the category “Other Asian”.

No plan of action to tackle BAME deaths

“There  are no recommendations and urgent actions that the government must do now to prevent more BAME deaths,” Mr. Fernando says in a Facebook message.

At least 50 Filipino healthcare workers have now died of  the coronavirus , according to Francis Michael Fernando, a key figure within the Filipino healthcare sector in the UK. Tracking the deaths among the Filipino community is done informally: bereaved families and concerned friends send information to the Philippine Embassy or to Filipino community leaders for recording. These figures often do not tally with the figures in the media.

Demand for separate Filipino ethnic category

“Also, Filipinos must be recorded as an ethnicity or nationality as we have the most number of staff deaths in both health and social care. If other small countries are represented why not us? It’s about time our contributions to our society are recognised by the government and one way of doing is including us on the ethnicity category rather than being part of the ‘Other Asian’ group,” he adds.

Ethnicity is currently not recorded as part of death registration in Britain. 

The concern for being recognised as a distinct ethnic category was shared by other Filipino nurses on Twitter.   

Missed indicators

Crucially, the report says that data analysis has not taken into account the effect of occupation, comorbidities or obesity which are all risk factors.

In a Facebook message, Leonor Mondata, former practice manager at a London surgery, suggests that: “If PHE is concerned about more deaths on BAME being vulnerable, then they should not allow them to work as frontliners for Covid and deploy them to do other work.”

The UK government also says that people of BAME background are more likely than White British to be born overseas, which means they may face additional barriers in accessing services that are created by, for example, cultural and language differences.

The Office for National Statistics show that in 2019, there were at least 18,500 Filipinos working in the National Health Service (NHS). Media reports say that Filipinos have the highest number of deaths among all ethnic groups working in health and social care.

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