News

BI to conduct ‘redundancy checks’ on returning OFWs

Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will undergo redundancy check to ensure that they have passed through the inspection of Bureau of Quarantine after disembarking from the plane, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Monday.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Immigration personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were instructed to assist agencies to identify returning who are required by the government to take rapid testing and undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
“If they misdeclare their status during the health screening, immigration officers will still be able to detect it,” he pointed out.
Morente explained that the move was sought after receiving reports that some arriving passengers do not declare that they are OFWs to avoid the mandatory quarantine.
Meanwhile, a one-stop-shop for returning OFWs is now set up the NAIA’s Terminal 1 and 2, according to BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina.
“Passengers who do not have the quarantine registration form showing that he or she has been tested for COVID-19 symptoms by BOQ personnel after disembarking from the aircraft shall be referred back to the BOQ,” he explained
He said that after being processed by the BI, the OFWs will be escorted by the appropriate government agency to buses that will bring them to their designated quarantine destinations.
As of April 26, around 50 special flights were arranged for repatriation of OFWs, mostly seafarers, since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented on March 17. The bulk of the which reportedly came from Italy, Spain, and the United States.
The bulk of the repatriated passengers came from Italy, Spain, and the United States.
READ MORE: DFA: 52 more Filipinos abroad diagnosed with COVID-19, total now at 1,395

Staff Report

The Filipino Times is the chronicler of stories for, of and by Filipinos all over the world, reaching more than 236 countries in readership. Any interesting story to share? Email us at [email protected]

Related Articles

Back to top button