Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) — The Philippine government is ready to assist overseas workers affected by the country’s temporary travel ban to and from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, officials said Monday.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval said OFWs will still be covered by President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive—which came in the wake of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) outbreak in the neighboring nation.
“Temporarily po due to the travel ban, hindi po muna (they still cannot return),” Sandoval said in a media briefing in Malacañang. “Because wala pong distinction between visa types doon sa lumabas po na direktiba doon sa travel ban.”
[Translation: Because there is no distinction between visa types in the travel ban directive.]
“So lahat po ng (all) Filipino nationals who are in the country will not be allowed to depart for Hong Kong, China, and Macau,” she added.
The Labor Department, in a statement, said the government will provide ₱10,000 cash aid for OFWs caught up in the travel ban.
Stranded outbound passengers can also avail of accommodation at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) halfway house as well as transportation assistance, the department added.
Sandoval likewise allayed OFWs’ concerns on job security, saying the government will do its part in maintaining their livelihoods.
‘No one infected in China’
Families of OFWs in China can meanwhile heave a sigh of relief as Filipinos residing in the East Asian country remain free of the mysterious respiratory illness.
“No Filipinos in China are confirmed to be infected with the 2019 nCoV acute respiratory disease, none,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said in the same media briefing.
Abella added the government targets to commence the repatriation of Filipinos from China this week, with around 42 persons requesting to come home.
“The expected goal is to be able to fetch them within the week,” Abella noted.
Currently, there are over 295,000 Filipinos in mainland China, according to government data.
