By Donna Rempillo
An Emirates flight from Dubai, with at least 200 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), will arrive on Friday, June 5 at Clark International Airport. There will also be a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Barbados, which will be arriving on Saturday, June 6, carrying more than 300 repatriated OFWs, who are all seafarers from the Royal Caribbean.
Vince Dizon, president and CEO for Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects, said on Thursday that the action plan for decentralization of OFW arrivals will start on June 5 at Clark International Airport.
The Luzon International Premier Airport and Development (LIPAD) Corporation, which is in-charge of the Clark International Airport, will make sure all repatriates will undergo PCR testing at the airport as mandated by the IATF guidelines.
“All international arrivals must undergo PCR testing at the airport and must stay at designated quarantine hotels while they await the results of their PCR tests,” said Teri Flores, LIPAD Corporation head of corporate communication.
OFW repatriates will be assisted by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), non-OFWs will be under the Department of Tourism (DOT), while seafarers will be accompanied by their respective manning agencies.
“Emirates will also have departures soon,” Flores disclosed. “We will announce the dates."
Dizon explained that decentralization of OFW arrivals was a result of the ramp up on testing capacity in provinces outside Metro Manila.
In addition, manning agencies and overseas Filipinos or non-workers abroad can contact their preferred laboratory to conduct tests available in private and public hospitals.
With this strategy, Dizon believes it can expedite the process of these Filipinos returning to their homes.