News

President Duterte instructs PH officials to send home 24,000 OFWs remaining in quarantine centers

President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed all PH agencies to send over 24,000 overseas Filipino workers who have been staying at quarantine centres starting May 25, Monday.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III stated that OFWs who have tested negative for their swab or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test will be sent home in batches of 8,000 per day through the OFW Return program, effectively clearing out all 24,000 within the next three days.
RELATED STORY: Secretary Bello instructs POLO-OWWA offices worldwide to provide food, medicine, accommodation for OFWs in need
The OFW Return Program covers both land and air transportation which would be shouldered by the government to send home OFWs who were repatriated from different parts of the globe due to the impact of the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Bello added that a composite team from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will arrange the daily trips for 8,000 OFWs a day via the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and the NAIA Terminal.
Reports from the Philippine News Agency state that OFWs only need to present their quarantine passes from the Bureau of Quarantine or from the PCG’s negative list from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) to qualify in the return program.
Starting Monday May 25, bus trips to Bicol, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Central Luzon will be made available.
READ ON: Bello urges officials to fast track approvals, payouts for DOLE-AKAP applications
Also, flights to Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban, Bacolod, Davao, Cebu, Iloilo, and Zamboanga will be arranged for flights until Wednesday, as per reports from the Philippine News Agency.
He added that a One-Stop-Shop will be located in the bus and flight sites to ensure the speedy arrangements for this program.
The program is provided by the President to ensure the safe return of OFWs to their families and loved ones amid the Covid-19 crisis.

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