MANILA - Nineteen Filipino students on internship in Vietnam were repatriated over the weekend as their program was cut off due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Sunday.
The students — who are from Cavite State University (CavSU), Ifugao State University (IfSU) and Palawan State University (PSU) — returned to the country on Saturday through a flight arranged by the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam, the CHED said in a statement.
The students were conducting their internship in Vietnam supposedly until May 2020, but had to return home due to the pandemic.
The CHED said the six CavSU students will undergo 14-day quarantine in their respective homes, while the remaining 13 from IfSU and PSU will remain in Metro Manila since Ifugao is on lockdown and there are no flights to Palawan.
The schools will pay for the student's hotel and food expenses while under quarantine, the CHED said.
CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera said more Filipino students are planning to come home in the next three months.
"CHED will continue to work with other government agencies to bring them home to their families," he said.
In March, 13 student interns from Vietnam and Japan were also repatriated.
education, Commission on Higher Education, repatriation, Vietnam, students, Cavite State University, Ifugao State University, Palawan State University