Returning Filipinos stranded


Desperate times: Stranded citizens waiting in front of a church in Metro Manila for a free bus ride back to their province Sorsogon. ­ — AP

When his cruise ship sailed into Manila Bay after weeks of voyaging like a castaway amid port closures set off by the global pandemic, Erick Arenas felt he was finally home.

But the 34-year-old dance performer of the Ovation of the Seas saw an ominous sign even before he could set foot on homeland.

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