Malacañang has announced that President Duterte has given the go signal to use all government resources to ensure that all OFWs who have tested negative for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) would head back home to their provinces within the week, including the use of ships, planes and land transport from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
This is the Philippine government’s response to the pleas of many OFWs who have already been tested and have received their results but were still stranded for several weeks at quarantine centres.
“Ang sabi po ng Presidente, kung hindi po sapat ang pribadong bus, eroplano at barko, puwede rin gamitin ang mga barko at eroplano ng hukbong sandatahan (The President said that if private buses, planes and ships are not enough, ships and planes of the Armed Forces can also be utilized),” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during a virtual presser.
Secretary Roque revealed that as of May 25, 3,459 plane seats have already been allocated and reserved for OFWs and that OFWs living in parts of Luzon will be sent to their respective provinces via bus while those from Visayas and Mindanao will be transported via plane or ship.
He assured OFWs that they will each be issued with quarantine certificates to present to authorities on their journey back home.
“Yung wala pong kopya ng quarantine certificate nila na kakailanganin para makauwi, wag po kayo mag-alala nagkaroon ng sistema ang OWWA na bibigyan po kayo ng kopya ng inyong certificate bago kayo sumakay ng bus, eroplano o barko (Those without quarantine certificates, which are needed to return home, don’t worry, the OWWA has put in place a system to provide you with certificates before you get on the bus, plane or ship),” said Roque as per reports from the Philippine News Agency.
Under government guidelines, all returning OFWs are required to undergo facility-based quarantine and COVID-19 tests to be shouldered by the OWWA.
Roque reminded concerned agencies to ensure that only OFWs with negative test results will be allowed to return home.
