Local gov'ts urged to allow entry of OFWs cleared of COVID-19

MANILA - The national government called on local officials to allow Filipino migrant workers who have finished their 14-day quarantine to return to their homes, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Sunday.

The government's inter-agency task force managing the pandemic made the call as other regions aside from Luzon have closed their borders in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Sila po ay binibigyan ng sertipikasyon bilang patunay na tapos na ang kanilang quarantine. Libu-libong milya ang kanilang tinahak para makauwi," he said in a virtual press briefing.

(They have already been given certificates as proof that they have finished their quarantine. They have traveled thousands of miles just to get home.)

"Ang daming protocol po na sinusundan para po makabalik sila sa bansa. Kaya pauwiin niyo na po sila. Hindi po sila banta sa kalusugan ng inyong mga bayan."

(They have undergone through so many protocol just to return to the Philippines, so let them go home. They are not a threat to your community's health.)

Some provinces impose another 14-day quarantine on those coming from the capital region. 

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) earlier said it would look for ways for some 5,000 overseas Filipino workers stranded in Manila to bring them to their home provinces.

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A total of 9,628 Filipinos have returned home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Foreign Affairs earlier said. Of the number, 6,680 are seafarers while 2,948 are land-based workers.

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