The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Friday sought additional funding to be able to shoulder the expenses of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for quarantine facilities, food, and COVID-19 test.
During a palace briefing, OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said the revised government protocol, under which OFWs are required to take RT-PCR test on the sixth day of quarantine rather upon their arrival in the country, requires supplemental funding due to the prolonged stay of returning OFWs in hotels.
“Assuming na magpatuloy itong protocol na seven to nine days mula 1 to 3 days na inilagi sa [quarantine] hotel, PHP9.8 billion po ang kakailanganin natin. Kasi po ang assumption natin diyan ay at least 2,000 ang lalapag sa international airport araw-araw,” Cacdac pointed out.
“Mga 60,000 [OFWs] po iyan sa isang buwan at sa walong buwan ay aabot ng 480,000, So kailangan po talaga ng supplemental funding natin P9.8 billion po ang kahilingan natin,” he continued.
Earlier, Cacdac projected that the PHP6.8 billion budget allocated for returning OFWs’ food, transport, and accommodation costs might be drained as early as April.
The OWWA administrator added that returning OFWs who received COVID-19 jabs already will still need to take the quarantine along with RT-PCR test.
“Kaya tayo ay nagsusumamo, nagmamakaawa tayo sa DBM at sa liderato ng Kongreso, sumulat po si Secretary [Silvestre] Bello sa kanila para mabigyan po tayo ng supplemental funding,” he stressed.
As of March 26, there are around 7,000 returning OFWs staying in 135 hotels.
