The Labor Department says that with the inclusion of UAE in the ‘green list’ travel restriction, POLO Dubai is now seeing a rise in the number of OFWs who want to go home in time for the Christmas season.
Laboe Attache John Rio Bautista said the POLO processes documents of around 200 OFWs daily who will go back to the Philippines.
“On a daily basis, we process 200 contract verifications. This is aside from the Balik Manggagawa or those who will come back to the same employer. They do not need to go personally at the POLO for contract verification. They only need to visit the POEA online portal,” said the Labor Attaché.
RELATED STORY: ‘The cap jacked up ticket prices to $7,000’: Locsin wants travel cap for returning OFWs lifted
Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddyboy Locsin Jr. urges the government to lift the travel cap for returning overseas Filipino workers or OFWs ahead of Christmas season.
In a series of tweets, Locsin says that the government must increase the passenger capacity in various international airports in the country for returning OFWs.
“Only help is to increase flights to our Manila, Clark, Subic & Cebu airports for all international airlines and lift the cap on arrivals especially for returning OFWs,” Locsin said.
He added that the travel cap also jacked up the ticket prices for OFWs who want to return home for Christmas.
“The cap has jacked up economic prices to US$ 7,000 for economy, denying them means to go home for Christmas,” he said.
READ ON: Now in ‘green list’: No more hotel quarantine for fully vaxxed Filipinos from UAE, Oman
Locsin said that economic recovery will be difficult if the government will not address the plight of OFWs.
“We can’t have economic recovery of airlines by squeezing to a pulp OFWs’ right to return home especially for Christmas or the politicians will have a miserable 2022 Christmas as defeated candidates,” he said.
Currently, the country’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport is only allowed to welcome 4,000 international passengers per day.
But due to lower coronavirus cases, the Civil Aeronautics Board is hoping the national government will further increase the daily cap for international passenger arrivals. (TDT)
