“Halaws”, or Filipino undocumented workers deported from Malaysia and other migrant workers come from low socio-economic status which put more strain to the local government unit’s resources along health, education and peace order problems. The in-and-out migration from Luzon, Visayas and other neighboring islands including international migration also contributed to the region’s population status. It has also been observed that the foremost motivating factor of the Halaws in going to Malaysia is financial. Most claimed that their families were desperate and the prospects of better life thereat proved very attractive. Zamboanga City’s proximity and accessibility to Malaysia has also permeated international migration which included labor migration. Nonetheless, reports from the DSWD and CHR monitoring team revealed that they were mostly employed in low paying jobs. To add to this, most are not informed of the required documentation requirements for their legal stay there. As such, they could not avail of health services which resulted in various health problems. Their situation even worsened upon detention. The City Health Office also manifested concern over health problems especially contagious diseases acquired outside and particularly those involving commercial sex workers. With the creation of the AIDS Council, the situation is now being monitored. Running away from the employer is also one common reason why workers turned into undocumented labor migrants in Malaysia. The DSWD acts as the “universal registrant” of all deportees/ returnees in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. Per record, majority of them belonged to the reproductive age group, 18-59 years old and approximately 30% are below 18 years old. The situation also reflects the forced migration of families instead of individuals and it is well to note that only a few of them opted not to go back to Sabah. Hence, to safeguard their rights, DOLE consistently encourages them to comply with proper documentation requirements to be able to return to work there without threat of arrest and deportation. At present, DSWD IX maintains a building in its property in Barangay Mampang that serves as the processing center for displaced persons. Acccording to their Officer in Charge, Fatima Caminan, the center served 2,378 deportees as of February 2020 and were allowed to go back to their provinces. They also provided food, transportation, personal effects, medicine, clothing and family packs. However, no further service was recorded during the ECQ and lockdown implementation. 10. Indigenous People and Indigenous Cultural Communities The various programs of the government for the Indigenous peoples in Region IX have not been fully implemented during this COVID pandemic. In Zamboanga City, there are Badjao families that are still waiting to be awarded of permanent shelter after being displaced due to the 2013 Zamboanga siege. Cultural communities during this COVID 19 Pandemic have been challenged with several issues and human rights concerns. Being precluded from doing their usual activities as means to earn an income during the pandemic, the IPPS/IPS experienced the scarcity of food and other necessities. This reality was quite obvious during the community quarantine whereby members of the Badjao tribe have been left with no resort but to roam the streets even during the height of the infection, notably without masks. Nonetheless, their seemingly vulnerable condition did not render them to be among those contaminated by the virus. As a matter of fact, the office of the NCIP in 9 9