ILOILO – A maximum of 525 – this is the number of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) the provincial government would accept each week.
This cap would give front-liners and local government units (LGUs) breathing room to manage their repatriates, according to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
“Their inbound travel shall be in three separate flights on different days, arriving between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and with a maximum of 175 passengers per flight,” according to Defensor in Executive Order No. 183-B, Series of 2020 issued on Sept. 30.
The governor also laid down three things that airlines transporting the OFWs must follow. These are the following:
* The province government shall be furnished with the flight manifest of every flight by the airline and/or the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines at least 24 hours before the flight.
* The issuance of boarding pass shall require the OFW to produce a medical certificate, travel authority and a valid government-issued identification card.
* Flights for OFWs shall be separate from the flights carrying locally stranded individuals and other authorized inbound passengers.
The OFW cap, however, would be enforced only after the National Task Force Against COVID-19 has given it a go, said Defensor.
The task force has yet to respond to his letter sent on Sept. 30.
Putting a ceiling on the number of returning OFWs will prevent front-liners, quarantine facilities and LGUs from being overwhelmed, said Defensor.
This also reduces the risk of front-liners and LGUs committing errors in the execution of health protocols.
The mail goal is to reduce the cases of COVID-19 transmission, stressed Defensor.
Beginning last month, the province’s repatriated OFWs were no longer quarantined in Iloilo City hotels. From the Iloilo Airport, they were directly taken to their respective LGUs’ quarantine facilities.
From March to Sept. 16 this year, 29,250 OFWs were repatriated to Western Visayas, data from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration showed. Here’s the breakdown:
* Aklan – 2,136
* Antique – 2,039
* Capiz – 2,753
* Guimaras – 872
* Iloilo – 10,296
* Negros Occidental – 5,267
* Bacolod City – 2,866
* Iloilo City – 3,021/PN
