Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the UAE breathed a sigh of relief when the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) included the UAE as part of the Philippines’ ‘Green List’ – however, ticket prices still cost a fortune.
As of press time, plane ticket aggregator websites such as ClearTrip and Skyscanner still peg roundtrip tickets from Dubai to Manila at an average of AED 6,000 to AED 12,000.
Vanessa from Dubai said these prices are a complete rip-off compared to regular plane ticket costs before the pandemic.
“Good luck sa price ng ticket. Loobin ng Diyos na ibalik sa dating price ang ticket. Just to be fair. Sana maging gift na nila sa pagtatapos ng taon ang mababang presyo. Hindi naman turista ang mga OFW,” said Vanessa.
Marilou Lorenzo Pineda from Ras Al Khaimah added: “Sana kahit plane ticket bumalik na din sa dati normal price including baggage.”
Lifting the passenger cap
Ticket prices remain high due to two factors: prevailing travel cap implemented across all airports in the Philippines, as well as an increased demand among those who wish to spend holidays in the Philippines.
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport, for instance, is only allowed to welcome 4,000 international passengers per day.
Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has appealed to government agencies to help returning OFWs get back home by proposing to lift the travel cap or ahead of the Christmas season.
In a series of tweets, Locsin said that the government must increase the passenger capacity in various international airports in the country to encourage airlines to add more flights for returning OFWs.
“Only help is to increase flights to our Manila, Clark, Subic & Cebu airports for all international airlines and lift the cap on arrivals especially for returning OFWs,” Locsin wrote.
“The cap has jacked up economic prices to $ 7,000 for economy, denying them means to go home for Christmas,” he added.
In his recent visit to the UAE, Locsin also met with His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and CEO of Emirates Airlines to discuss mutual concerns on their hopes that travel restrictions would eventually ease especially for the upcoming holiday season.
The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP), for their part, sought government decision to exclude from its count Filipinos who have already been fully vaccinated stressing that they no longer need to undergo quarantine.
“ACAP also shared the view that fully-vaccinated inbound travelers from ‘Green List’ countries should no longer form part of, and be excluded from the daily cap on international arrivals considering that these travelers are no longer undergoing facility-based quarantine upon their arrival,” read the statement from ACAP.
No more quarantine
Malacañang highlighted that the UAE’s inclusion in the green list meant that fully vaccinated Filipinos no longer need to quarantine, provided they get a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin. The Philippine government only requires passengers to self-monitor for any symptom until the 14th day.
For Jen de Castro, the announcement sparked hope for her family after enduring several cancelled flights for months. She recalled that she had to explain to her kids that their family reunion would have had to wait for a bit longer each time their flight got cancelled.
“We have been waiting for this announcement for so long. When I saw TFT’s news about it, my husband and I felt really emotional. Nagulat kami na hindi na lang makapagsalita. Siguro sa tuwa? Halo-halong emosyon na ba. And then we just hugged. You wouldn’t imagine what we’ve been through for months of cancelled flights,” de Castro said.
OFWs and their families have borne the brunt of the Philippines’ very strict COVID-19 restrictions for inbound travelers which has been dubbed as the “longest lockdown in the world”.
Margie Santos, a Dubai-based Filipina, shared: “Sa wakas. Sa wakas po talaga. Actually nakakaiyak no na sana nangyari ito noong time na buhay pa ang tatay ko. Namatay sya September last year na hindi ko man lang sya nasilayan. Masakit ‘yun para sa isang anak. Ano pa man, nagpapasalamat na rin ako na sa wakas natapos na itong quarantine.”
Abu Dhabi also included the Philippines as part of its ‘Green List’ in the first week of November which meant that fully-vaccinated OFWs no longer need to do quarantine when they head back to the UAE.
The Philippines’ green list will be updated again this week before December 1, and OFWs in the UAE hope that the UAE’s inclusion in the list sticks around.
“Sana tuloy-tuloy na yan. Wag na magbago ng desisyon sana yung mga otoridad. Kung pwede sana update na din nila ang ticket price. Para wala na masyadong hassle para sa mga gustong umuwi ng bansa,” said Anna Soverano.
Ronald Mariano said in his comment: “This would not be possible without the tremendous efforts of UAE to get everyone including Filipinos vaccinated… Thank you very much. This pandemic will be behind us all sooner or later.”
