By Ariel Fernandez
Some 3,500 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are finally going back to their respective provinces today, May 25, as part of the government’s “Balik Probinsya” program.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
The first batch of these OFWs arrived at the NAIA terminal 2 on air-con buses around 7 a.m. and were accommodated for the first flight bound for Davao at 10 a.m.
OWWA Administrator Hanz Leo Cacdac said there are 20 to 25 chartered flights scheduled today, courtesy of Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Air Asia (Z2), that will bring home OFWs from NAIA to different provinces.
He also said the agency shouldered all the expenses of the returning OFWs, including their air fare. OWWA spent around P50 million pesos for this, Cacdac added. That’s around P1.5 million per chartered flights.
“Sa wakas makakauwi na ako sa amin (Finally, I can go home) after a long wait,” said cruise ship stewardess Melody Colon of Cebu City, who arrived in the country at the end of March but has been in quarantine for more than 14 days.
Bethoven Sinangot, also a seafarer from Cebu, added that on May 16, they received their certification or clearance from the Bureau of Quarantine, which said they had already completed quarantine procedures and have been found negative for COVID-19. They even submitted all the requirements. Still, they were kept in their hotels longer than what was promised.
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) operations officer Danjun Lucas said that the Department of Tourism (DOTr) instructed them to arrange 20 to 25 charter flights to accommodate OFWs returning to their provinces.
Below are 16 of the flights chartered from PAL and Air Asia scheduled to leave NAIA terminal 2 today (Monday):
PAL 2P 4141 MNL-ILO ILO
Z2 8617 MNL-DAVAO
Z2 8651 MNL-ZAMBOANGA
Z2 8661 MNL-GENSAN
Z2 8691 MNL-CAGAYAN
2P 4143 MNL-ILO ILO
2P 4145 MNL-ILO ILO
PR 5853 MNL-CEBU
2P 4981 MNL-TACLOBAN
Air Asia) Z2 8613 MNL-DAVAO
Z2 8653 MNL-ZAMBOANGA
Z2 8663 MNL-GENSAN
Z2 8694 MNL-CAGAYAN
PR 5859 MNL-CEBU
2P 4453 MNL-GENSAN
PR 5861 MNL-CEBU