MANILA - More than 254,000 Filipino migrant workers have been repatriated since the coronavirus pandemic started and more are expected to come home to the Philippines, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday night.

Lorenzana said in a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte that more than 254,000 OFWS have returned to their hometowns.

Lorenzana said that 1,968 Filipinos have returned from Sabah, with more than 3,000 still waiting to go home.

"Mahigit 3,000 pa ang gustong umuwi, naghihintay pa," he said, adding that Sabah is also on lockdown.

Lorenzana also said the Lopez Group donated a 125-bed capacity isolation facility for seafarers. A quarantine facility for frontliners has also been donated to the government.

Filipino migrant workers have been returning to the Philippines since March when coronavirus cases worldwide rapidly rose, forcing establishments and businesses to temporarily close in nearly all countries, leading to loss of jobs and income.