Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III vowed to the family of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who died while in a quarantine facility in Manila that they will receive financial aid from the government.
Eden Bianzon died while she was staying in a hotel converted into a quarantine facility last April 7.
“Surely, the family of Eden Bianzon will get aid from the government,” Bello said in a radio interview.
Bianzon, who hailed from M’lang, North Cotabato, returned late last month from abroad.
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Upon arrival she got herself tested for COVID-19 and stayed at a government-administered quarantine facility.
She tested positive and later died, but, according to Bello the OFW “died of other disease and not due to coronavirus.”
He also assured the OFW’s family that they would receive financial and burial assistance as well as other assistance.
Meanwhile, Bello ordered a probe on how the staff of the quarantine hotel treated their patients. Bello did not disclose the name of the establishment.
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The family of the deceased OFW complained about alleged negligence including failure to provide meals on time.
He said the hotel may be delisted from Department of Health accredited isolation facilities if they will be found liable.
Bello also bared that they proposed to National Task Force Against Covid-19 to reduce the 14-day quarantine period for returning OFWs to just nine days to avoid financial and emotional problems the migrant workers may encounter while inside the facility. (RA)
