Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2) — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is expected to soon release P1 billion of the P4.2 billion supplemental budget requested by the Department of Labor for the quarantine expenses of returning overseas Filipino workers until the end of the year.
“Ang alam namin ay at least P1 billion ang maiuukol ng DBM ngayong linggo,” Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Hans Cacdac told a government briefing.
[Translation: What we know is the DBM is allocating at least P1 billion this week.]
“We are hoping na iyong (the) next few tranches will be given to us in the remainder of the year,” Cacdac added.
Under the latest rules of the Inter-Agency Task Force, fully vaccinated Filipinos and foreign nationals traveling from “green” countries tagged as low risk for COVID-19 no longer need to be quarantined upon entry to the Philippines.
They just need to present a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival.
But for fully vaccinated Filipinos, they can choose to take an RT-PCR test in a quarantine facility upon arrival and stay there until the release of a negative result.
Other inbound travelers shall undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day.
Meanwhile, fully vaccinated individuals from “yellow” countries considered as moderate risk for COVID-19 should also go through facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day. Afterward, they shall be under home quarantine until the 10th day.
Other travelers need to be in a quarantine facility until a negative result of a test taken on the seventh day is out. Then, they must complete their 14-day quarantine at home.
Those from “red” countries tagged as high risk for COVID-19, except for Filipino repatriates, are not allowed to enter the country.
Evacuees need to go through facility-based quarantine for 10 days and home quarantine for four days.
