Senator Panfilo Lacson said that the government should set up a COVID-19 vaccine passport system prioritizing fully vaccinated overseas Filipino workers and foreign investors.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Lacson said that OFWs and investors are thinking twice when going back to the Philippines due to strict mandatory quarantine requirements even for those fully vaccinated individuals.
“For our returning OFWs, at most, we might require them to take a swab test then allow them to go home, then require them to stay at home for 10 days. No need to require them to stay at a hotel,” Lacson said.
“Most of the time, OFWs return to the country because of an emergency. But if you are an OFW and you are required to be quarantined for 10 days, how many days of your leave will go to waste? I don’t think that makes sense,” he added.
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Lacson said that the current quarantine and testing protocols may aslo affect the tourism and investment sector.
“Also, our tourism sector and investment will suffer. If a potential investor who would like to come here learns of the requirements that include a swab test and stay at a quarantine facility not of his or her choice, would he or she still come?” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the province of Cebu to follow the protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19 for testing of inbound or arriving overseas Filipinos.
Current IATF protocols require all inbound travellers to be tested on the 7th or 8th day after a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Senators have expressed their support to Cebu Province’s swab testing upon arrrival policy for overseas Filipino workers and returning Filipinos.
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Senate President Tito Sotto said that he strongly support Cebu’s testing and quarantine facility.
Sotto said that the IATF guidelines cause additional burden to inbound Filipinos.
Senator Risa Hontiveros also commended Cebu’s decision to come up with their own policy in testing and quarantine of OFWs.
“I am certain they have taken into account their situation, as well as the plight of our OFWs, before coming up with these measures,” Hontiveros said.
