The Philippines government has received permission for its navy ships to enter Sabah territorial waters so as to expedite the departure of undocumented Filipino migrant workers who could not secure ferry tickets to return home.

The Consul General of Philippines in Kuala Lumpur, Luis Cruz, said yesterday a request was submitted to the Malaysian government two days ago for navy ships to transport an estimated 18,000 Filipino migrant workers stranded in Sabah.

"The problem is that there is only one ferry service in operation between Sandakan and Zamboanga. This ferry operates only twice a week," he said during a telephone interview this afternoon.

Cruz said Sabah immigration authorities had agreed to allow a grace period for illegal immigrants to leave the country until Aug 24, in view of transportation limitations.

"This is only for a specific group of people. It is only applicable for those who have obtained travel documents before the amnesty period ended but could not get ferry tickets," he added.