Prioritize repatriation efforts for OFW — Go
Prioritize repatriation efforts for OFW — Go
With the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic still hampering transportation across the country, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Monday urged the government to ensure the swift repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
He reiterated the strict implementation of health protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.
The lawmaker has asked the Executive Department to look into the Hatid Tulong Initiative which he said should put emphasis on the observance of health and safety protocols.
“Since Hatid Tulong is a directive from the President, it is important to make sure that proper health and safety protocols are in place in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
“Proper coordination must also be conducted to make sure that receiving LGU (local government units) are willing and ready to accept their constituents,” he added.
The Hatid Tulong program assists locals and OFW who cannot return to their home provinces due to the imposition of lockdowns.
“Our assistance to the returning OFW continues. According to the latest IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) regulation, all returning OFW will undergo PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and while they wait for results, they will stay in our partner hotels for five days which is the maximum period. After five days, the results should be out and they should be allowed to go,” Go stated.
The lawmaker also asked the authorities to ensure that these regulations set by IATF will be followed as this was considered as an order from the President.
“I call on the government authorities, if the OFW are negative, please make sure that they will go back to their hometowns immediately. If their relatives cannot fetch them, especially if they are living in Metro Manila or neighboring provinces, please provide free services,” Go said. “That is the directive of the President. Let them go back to their provinces.”
The IATF for COVID-19 response has come up with the regulation after issues hounded the government’s repatriation efforts for the OFW. Go also asked the authorities to tap the OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS) which can help the government track the whereabouts of returning OFW.
The lawmaker also disclosed that P2.5 billion in cash assistance was allotted for the documented OFW affected by the pandemic. But he reiterated that the undocumented OFW should also be assisted by the government.
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, meantime, ordered the temporary halt in the repatriation of locally stranded individuals (LSI) to Negros Occidental and Iloilo in Region 6, as well as the entire of Region 8. This was issued after an alarming increase in COVID-19 infections in the Visayas.
The Defense secretary explained that his order was prompted by requests from the local chief executives amid the increasing number of those testing positive for the coronavirus disease on returning residents from Metro Manila.
The suspension took effect Sunday and will last for two weeks. “Negros and Iloilo made the request to stop the repatriation temporarily because large numbers of LSI are from these provinces and their capacity to receive these people is being overwhelmed,” Lorenzana, who is also the chairman of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF), said.
“We have to do this because the LSI are bringing the virus to the provinces. The data from Bacolod and Iloilo City bear this out. The LGU asked for the suspension. We will have to come up with a better procedure to prevent this from happening,” he added.
The suspension will enable the NTF to better streamline the process and ensure there are no COVID-19 carriers among the returnees. The LGU will also have time to improve their health care and isolation facilities, according to the Defense chief.
“The suspension shall provide us with the opportunity to put in place systems and infrastructures so that the local governments can cope with the returning LSI,” Lorenzana said.
For now, however, LSI bound for Regions 6 and 8, “have to wait where they are.”
He reiterated the strict implementation of health protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.
“They should not go to the airport or seaport. We have to get the LGU to agree to receive them. Their problem is that their quarantine facilities are limited and they don’t want to be overwhelmed,” said the Defense chief.
No testing yet
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), on the other hand, announced on Monday that residents returning to their home provinces do not yet need to undergo swab testing for the virus.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año revealed that the proposal to have LSI undergo PCR tests at their home provinces is yet approved.
“Maybe there was a miscommunication. They are not required to undergo PCR testing. The proposal has yet to be approved for LSI to undergo PCR test at their point of destination,” said Año, who is also the vice-chairman of the national task force against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DILG chief issued the clarification following the announcement of Joint Task Force COVID Shield Commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar in a separate interview that travelers bound for other areas in Visayas and Mindanao on board ships are required to present the results of their nasal swab test.
Government will shoulder the returning residents’ PCR test and is preparing to distribute more test kits, according to Año. He added that the government has yet to setup a molecular laboratory in some regions such as CARAGA.
Earlier this month, the Social Weather Stations said around 4.1 million working age Filipinos are stranded due to community restrictions.