By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) can now re-enter Western Visayas if they test negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and have been quarantined for 14 days without symptoms.
The Western Visayas Regional Task Force on COVID-19 on April 15, 2020 published Resolution No. 12 which was approved during its meeting on April 13.
The resolution allows OFWs to be repatriated to the region if they meet several requirements:
– submit to real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test from the country where they had come from, if available;
– undergo Department of Health (DOH)-approved Reverse Transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) testing prior to departure from the immediate point of entry; and
– undergo a 14-day quarantine and must be asymptomatic prior to departure from the immediate point of entry.
NO ISSUE WITH OFW ENTRY
In a press conference on Wednesday, April 15, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said that he had no issue with the repatriation of OFWs into Iloilo City so long as protocols are being followed.
“Waay gid issue sa OFW. Ang akon lang to nga nangakig ako is because may undocumented nga gin-upod nila didto. So I do not know what reason, kun sin-o padrino, mga amu sina nga rason, ang akon lang ya indi ko lang gusto nga may undocumented nga maupod lang. Kita mo, nag-gwa sa rapid test nga may ara tatlo nga positive. Pasalamat kita nga isa man lang ang nag-positive so far. Ang isa ginahulat pa ang result.”
Treñas clarified that his issue with OFWs entering the city is the proper documentation of OFWs who would be repatriated.
“Ang akon nga issue lang gid is really with the undocumented. Kun may ara sila nga ngalan, ihatag nila sa aton one week before. Ma-check naton sa barangay kun taga-dira gid man, kag ang aton requirement subong is ma-agi gid sila sa rapid test kits. So we have no issue,” he said.
Treñas said the returning OFWs will need to present certification from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in Manila that they have undergone testing.
He added that the OFWs, however, will need to undergo mandatory home quarantine.
Treñas on April 13 had announced a temporary ban on the re-entry of OFWs after a 40-year-old male OFW from La Paz district tested positive for COVID-19.
The patient, who came from the United Kingdom, arrived with 28 other OFWs via a vessel from Cebu on Saturday, April 11.
Two other OFWs had also tested positive for antibodies related to the COVID-19 infection.
The mayor on Monday called out the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) for including the three passengers on board, saying that they had not followed protocol and ultimately compromised government personnel and crew.
During the press conference, the mayor also announced that one of the two patients had tested negative for COVID-19 according to the results of their RT-PCR confirmatory tests.
OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac had publicly apologized to the mayor through a message sent to media personnel on April 14.
Cacdac clarified that they followed the protocol set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
He explained that the three OFWs were quarantined in Cebu before their return to Iloilo.
“The three OFWs arrived in Cebu from Dubai via Emirates Airlines on separate dates from March 17 to March 19. They left Cebu with Medical Certificates issued by the DOH-Bureau of Quarantine or the Cebu City Health Department issued on April 2, April 6, and April 8, respectively. These Certificates state that the three OFWs were asymptomatic and had hurdled the 14-day quarantine in Cebu,” he said.
He also stated that the OWWA had followed Resolutions No. 18 and 22 of the IATF-EID, and that they have been faithfully aiding OFWs throughout the entire process.
“My people on that fateful night were guided by [Resolutions No. 18 and 22] of the IATF. Since the ECQ last March 15th, we have aided around 10,000 stranded OFWs. They are OFWs we have personally transported, fed, accommodated, befriended, and kept company during these difficult times. If we have been imperfect, then I apologize to Mayor Treñas and the City of Iloilo. At the same time, we offer our continuing support and partnership, as there are many more OFWs we could serve during this, perhaps the greatest challenge of our generation,” he said.
Iloilo City has been under Enhanced Community Quarantine since March 20, 2020 by virtue of Executive Order No. 055-2020, as part of its response to COVID-19.
It was extended to April 30 through Executive Order No. 061 issued on April 8, 2020.
DIRECTION
In a text message to Daily Guardian, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said that the task force’s resolution is in the direction the province had desired.
“That is the direction we want. We care for our OFWs and their families. We want them safe from COVID-19. We want to receive our OFWs following proper procedure and with sufficient preparation, because we don’t want them to bring COVID-19 to their families,” he said.
Defensor added that the OFWs will be placed in a common quarantine facility provided by OWWA for 14 days upon their arrival.
The governor, together with municipal mayors, on Monday also sent a letter to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines blocking the scheduled entry of about 100 OFWs.
The entire province was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine on March 20, 2020 through Executive Order No. 080, as part of the province’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
It was also extended to April 30 through Executive Order No. 102 issued on April 8.
The Department of Health (DOH) has reported that as of April 15, 2020, the region’s confirmed COVID-19 cases remain at 40, with no new cases since April 13.
