World Muay Thai Council featherweight Asian title holder Phillip Delarmino and his coach Billy Alumno returned to the Philippines on Wednesday after being stranded in Dubai for more than a month due to the Philippine travel ban to the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Delarmino is very happy that they can go home.
“Ang saya-saya po namin ni Coach Billy. Sa wakas dahil sa tagal po naming na-stranded dito sa Dubai makakauwi na kami,” he said.
He fought in Dubai on June 25, but the Philippine government has a travel ban on those coming from the United Arab Emirates and Oman, so they cannot return home immediately.
Two days after fighting and winning the championship in the UAE, Delarmino and his coach Billy Alumino packed to go home to the Philippines but were stopped when they arrived at the airport.
They tried to apply for the government’s repatriation program, but they could not get a booking with the number on the priority list.
Pinoy Muay Thai champion Delarmino returns home after being stranded in Dubai
The commercial repatriation flight paved the way for them to fly with the help of the UAE Muay Thai and Kickboxing Federation.
“Kahit na-stranded po kami, nand’yan po sila, sinuportahan po kami. Tinulungan po kami lalong lalo na ‘yung mga kababayang martial artists dito sa Dubai,” said Delarmino.
“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa United Arab Muay Thai Federation na sila po ang sumuiporta sa amin. Hindi po kami iniwanan. Sila po ang nag-asikaso sa amin kahit na tagalan kaming na-stranded dito,” said Alumno.
He added, they are also thankful to the Filipinos in Dubai who helped them, especially the Baguio martial arts group.
More than 6,000 Filipino tourists are now stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the Inter-Agency Task Force or IATF’s extended travel ban until August 15 for travelers from the UAE and Oman back to the Philippines.
According to the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, the number of stranded people may increase due to the new extension of the travel ban. In addition, the passenger’s health has been affected as the flight home to the Philippines has been canceled several times.
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