The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided assistance to 82 Filipino deportees from Sabah, Malaysia since their arrival in the country last month, bringing the total of assisted deportees and repatriates to about 6,000 this year.

DSWD’s Crisis Intervention Unit and Deportees Processing Center of DSWD Field Office-Region 9 in Zamboanga City assisted deportees composed of 42 adults, 23 youths and 17 children who arrived in the country last July 22.

Meanwhile, the DSWD said they also helped individuals who were reportedly forced to leave their homes in Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Cagayan de Oro City due to continued armed conflict and poverty in Mindanao.

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral said all of the deportees underwent medical check-up at the Deportees Processing Center.

“We found out that 17 of them were sick and malnourished, including three children, six youths and eight adults, and they were all given medical care,” Cabral said.

Some 5,785 deportees and some 14 repatriates from Malaysia were recorded since January 2009. According to the DSWD chief, 5,628 deportees, including repatriates have been provided with R5.27 million worth of assistance.

The services and interventions extended by DSWD to deportees include provisions of food, clothing and transportation assistance.

The deportees were also provided psychosocial interventions - specifically critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) to lessen the impact of trauma to the deportees.

They were also referred to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) of the original places of residence for follow through and other support social services.