Rather than donate to this petition, please refer to our GoFundMe which will help cover costs for stranded citizens to return home (leftover proceeds will be donated to Covid-19 Emergency Relief Funds in the Philippines and in America) : https://www.gofundme.com/f/stuckabroad?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

To any person referring to American citizens requesting help home as spoiled, entitled, or bratty...this is not the place for you. Your comments can and will be deleted by me immediately. So don’t waste your breath. We are seeking compassion and have the humility to share our stories and ask for help. My story is one of many, I only wish to set an example and be the voice for those who do not have the platform or capacity to reach out for assistance. I am not ashamed to share my story and will not be made to feel guilty. Many of us stranded here, are in fact not here just for vacations. We have families, are on missionary trips, business trips, and even IF we are here for a vacation...that in no way means that we don’t deserve or need help. No one asked for any of this to happen, and we ALL must be there for each other, as friends, neighbors, and humans all around. And No, we are not better off here then we would be in America, not a single person on this Earth is better off in one country over another. We are all at risk. What we are asking for, is the chance to deal with this scary situation under our own nation’s government, we are asking to deal with all of this on our own homeland. 

My name is Jade Taubman and I am an American Citizen who has been trapped in the Philippines for one month, and as of now I will be stuck here for an indefinite amount of time. I am in an apartment building not only with other American citizens, but also foreigners from other countries who are going through the same situation. We all have families, children, houses, apartments, and bills that we are all paying for back home, on top of paying for continued expenses while being stuck here. 

I receive emails every day from the US Embassy in the Philippines saying that all foreign citizens should make immediate arrangements to fly home through commercial airlines, or to be prepared to shelter in place for an indefinite time period. 

Every airline operating in the Philippines has made a public announcement stating that they will be cancelling, and no longer offering any type of domestic flights until at least April 30th, with the possibility of this being even further extended based off the status of Covid-19 as it progresses in this country. Even IF we were able to book a flight out of Manila back to America, the Philippines will in no way let us travel to Manila to do so.

We are stuck in place, and at this pace it will be a total of 2 months being confined to an apartment building in a foreign country, where none of us speak the language and have no way to protect ourselves. The President and Government of the Philippines is doing everything they can to protect themselves and their people, as they should. This country has done a tremendous job in facilitating strict quarantine guidelines, and that is amazing for the community. However, as Americans we feel a little out of place and would just really like a chance to return home to the US. Unfortunately, there is not freedom of press or freedom of speech in this country, and if I were to speak openly about some of the things that are happening to people here, I would be putting myself and others at great risk.

We understand that everyone is busy, and that everyone is doing their best, but we really just want to be heard and recognized by anyone that can help us out. Thank you to everyone who has done this already so far!  


This is not an effort to take away from the slowing of the spread of the virus, as we should ALL be continuing to abide by quarantine guidelines and being respectful to all military workers who are simply doing their job. However, it is fair that if done in a safe and compliant way, that Americans should be able to return to their home country and continue their quarantine process there. ALSO, if other countries and other embassies are continuing to retrieve their stranded citizens, the United States Government has the means and capacity to do the same...and should be doing everything they can to help us get home. Instead, we are being told that they will no longer be sending us flights...luckily they have sent previous flights and have already been able to save a lot of people, but there are still a number of us stranded here who were not able to make it to those flights before. 

We have contacted the Embassy every day, to which they have told us that the United States will not be sending ANY more repatriation flights to pick up it’s citizens. Previously when they have sent sweeper flights, we were given less then a few hours notice to get to the airport. The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands, so it would be nearly impossible to make it to the specific airport they sent a flight to pick us up on within the given time frame. This has left a number of American citizens still stuck here in the Philippines! After calling the Embassy Emergency Hotline, they informed us that there was nothing they could do at the moment, and to shelter in place, and that we would have to rely on the Department of Tourism to arrange any type of sweeper flight to get us to Manila, the main city here in the Philippines. On top of that, once we get to Manila, they have stated that because “commercial airlines are still offering flights to the United States”, that it was still OUR responsibility to book our own flights home. As you can imagine, airlines have price gouged tickets making them cost thousands of dollars more than our original flights home, and they will absolutely not cover the cost of the fare difference or rebooking fees. 

I am begging you to please sign this petition, and please spread the awareness so that the United States Government will continue sending repatriation flights to pick up it’s citizens who are trapped in this country. Please if you have any way to forward this petition to any Governor, Senator, or Political Figure who can help us, please do so. Please sign this petition so that we have some type of leverage as to why we NEED the US government to step in and assist us. 

We have NO access to banks, limited amounts of money, we are going into debt having to pay for our expenses in the United States AND pay to be living in this country. We have limited amounts of access to food. Grocery stores have really long lines, and are doing their best to provide for the community, but there are some days that by the time you make it to the store there is not much left to buy. On top of that, we are also taking away from materials, food, supplies, etc. that could be used for Filipino citizens in the small town we are in. I hope America continues to assist this country and the amazing people here, because truly they need it. In order to make it into the main market, you must stand in like for up to 4-6 hours. This is not a complaint or cry for help, as we will continue to be able to take care of ourselves and know how to make it work. However, It is becoming clear that the people around us are becoming distressed because it is becoming harder to be accessible to resources and necessities. I understand that we are all doing our best, I am asking for nothing more than an opportunity to come home. I am ready, able, and willing to pay for my own flight arrangements. I just need the ability to do so. My flight home has been cancelled twice now, and my greatest fear is that it will continue being cancelled and I will continue having to stay in this terrifying, unknown, and unpredictable situation. Please help us get home! Not only myself, but now dozens of other families are reaching out to me saying they are also stranded here, but have had no way to contact any help or resources.