The coronavirus pandemic caused a dramatic decrease in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to Singapore by 80 percent, where the numbers dropped from 140,000 to barely last year, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
At present, there are about 180,000 to 200,000 OFWs in Singapore, according to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
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Labor Attaché in Singapore Saul T. De Vries stated that the pandemic crisis, which disrupted business operations worldwide, had displaced 6,000 to 10,000 OFWs.
He further said that the government is assisting these OFWs by extending their special passes, while closely coordinating with the immigration authorities to make their stay legal.
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The assistance provided to the affected OFWs included a one-time $200 or Php10,000 under a cash aid program of the DOLE. He added that the OFWs were also provided with food packs and essential hygiene kits, apart from “physical and mental health and wellness activities” to cope with the community quarantines.
De Vries said OFWs arriving in Singapore would have to undergo a 21-day institutional quarantine and take reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test thrice. (AW)
