THE Clark International Airport in Pampanga will open this week to receive Filipinos arriving from abroad as government expedites the opening of international airports also in Cebu, Davao and General Santos cities in anticipation of the arrival of some 42,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) next month.
The reopening of the international airports in the country is in compliance with the order of President Duterte to allow repatriated OFWs to proceed directly to their hometowns where they can take tests for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.
This is according to Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19 (NTF on COVID-19), who appeared at Thursday’s “Laging Handa” briefing.
Restituto Padilla, spokesman of NTF on COVID-19, said by allowing the overseas Filipinos to return via airports in the provinces, they would no longer need to pass Manila where thousands of OFWs have been forced to stay in government facilities despite completing their quarantine because of delayed release of their COVID-19 test results.
He said the Filipinos going home to Luzon will use the Clark airport; those going to the Visayas, the Cebu International Airport; and those going to Mindanao, the Davao International Airport.
He said that in the current set-up, Manila is getting congested with the returning OFWs while testing centers are getting overwhelmed, thus the delay in the release of test results. When the OFWs reach their provinces, their local governments would subject them to another round of test and quarantine.
“Kawawa naman ang mga kababayan natin. Doble-doble na ang paghihirap (The OFWs are subject to double suffering),” he said.
Galvez said the government’s “strategy” is for the OFWs to go directly to airports in their regions. That is why the government is preparing to open the other international airports, he
Galvez also said the national government will coordinate with local officials of Cebu, Davao, and General Santos cities in preparation of the return of OFWs to the provinces.
He said apart from the 42,000 who are arriving in June, the government is also expecting some 250,000 more OFWS to return until the end of the year.
He said 70 percent of the economy in the Middle East region has contracted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the OFWs losing their jobs.
Padilla said the Filipinos coming from the Middle East are being prioritized because some of them bought their tickets as early as two weeks ago using their remaining savings.
He assured communities near the international airports that these facilities would not be opened and operated unless testing centers and quarantine facilities have been designated.
He said those arriving in Clark for instance can be tested with the help of the Jose B. Lingad hospital in San Fernando in Pampanga, which can test and process 1,500 a day.
He said hospitals in Cebu and Davao are also already being improved.
resident Duterte this week gave the the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Health, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration a week to speed up the release of the test results of some 24,000 OFWs who have completed their quarantine and bring them to their provinces if they tested negative for COVID-19.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said latest data from OWWA showed that 16,000 of the 24,000 OFWs have returned to their provinces.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said as of Wednesday night, almost 12,000 OFWs have yet to go home. He did not say why the delay but said he expects all the OFWs to be home by Saturday.
He reiterated his appeal to the receiving local government units (LGUs) to just subject the returning OFWs to home quarantine, instead of bringing them to local quarantine facilities.
SEAFARERS
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reminded manning agencies and employers of seafarers to pay for their stay in government quarantine facilities.
“The Philippine manning agency or the ship owners they represent shall cover the board and lodging of their deployed seafarers during their quarantine period,” he said.
He added the policy remains regardless if the country is still under an enhanced community quarantine, general community quarantine, or none.
DOLE said the policy is anchored on provisions of the Maritime Labor Convention approved in 2006 regarding social protection, maritime occupational safety and health, medical repatriation, and other seafaring concerns.
Under the policy of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, all repatriated OFWs must undergo a 14-day quarantine period and be tested negative for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before they are allowed to go home.
DEPT. OF OFWS
The ACTS-OFW Coalition of Organizations (ACTS-OFW) renewed calls for the establishment of a Department of Overseas Filipino Workers.
“We’ve seen how the government has been overwhelmed by the coinciding pleas for help from distressed OFWs both here at home and abroad, leaving many of them abandoned and neglected,” said ACTS-OFW chairman Aniceto Bertiz III in a statement.
“Up to now, we still have thousands of displaced Filipino workers marooned in foreign lands with little to zero access to emergency assistance,” Bertiz said.
Back in March, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 5832 that seeks to create the Department of Filipinos Overseas and Foreign Employment.
The Senate version of the Department of OFWs bill, however, remains pending at the committee level. — With Victor Reyes and Gerard Naval
