Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 1) — Some returning overseas Filipino workers are still being denied entry back to their hometowns – and the national government has decided to do something about their plight.
In a statement on Friday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said it ordered the creation of assistance desks nationwide to help OFWs return home after completing their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
“We have been receiving reports that some OFWs are being barred from entering their communities or otherwise prevented to go to their designated health facilities to undergo their mandatory 14-day quarantine,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
All OFWs are required to complete the isolation period in Metro Manila before leaving for their provinces to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease which has infected more than 3.2 million worldwide. If the local government unit concerned still wants OFWs to undergo another period of quarantine, the DILG said they should be allowed to do so at home.
“Miscommunication and misinformation should both be out of the question. Kaya magkakaroon ang kagawaran ng mga OFW desk sa regional offices pati ang pagtatalaga ng desk officer sa bawat rehiyon, lalawigan, at lungsod,” Año added.
[Translation: Miscommunication and misinformation should both be out of the question. That’s why the department will have OFW desks in regional offices and a designated desk officer in ever region, municipality, and city.]
Under DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2020-075, the Local Government Operations Officer of every city and municipality will be the designated OFW Desk Officer. They will be tasked to immediately coordinate with the local chief executive and provide the necessary information about the returning OFWs.
“They must ensure that local government units (LGUs), including the BARMM, provide all the necessary assistance to the OFWs,” the DILG said, on top of monitoring the health of all OFWs with the help of city or municipal health workers.
COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. said 16,000 OFWs are now in quarantine facilities while the government is expecting 150,000 more inbound Filipinos.
Nationwide, the number of COVID-19 cases reached 8,488 on Thursday, with 1,043 recoveries and 568 deaths. The entire country is under general community quarantine, while high-risk areas like Metro Manila are under a stricter enhanced community quarantine, marked by stay-at-home orders and suspension of most work and public transport.
