MANILA - Thousands of people stranded in the Philippine capital due to the COVID-19 lockdown spent Friday night inside Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila before they return to their respective provinces during the weekend.

The locally stranded individuals (LSIs), mostly from the Visayas and Mindanao, are scheduled to leave Metro Manila in July 25 and 26 through the government's "Hatid Tulong" program.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Friday more than 8,000 stranded individuals had availed of the transportation assistance program.

For the second phase of Hatid Tulong, the stranded individuals will board 120 buses and 5 sea vessels.

“Gaya ng first batch ng Hatid Tulong noong unang linggo ng July, we will be ensuring that our LSIs will be comfortable and safe in the transportation modes that the government has prepared for them,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said in a statement.