This long and winding queue of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 shows our countrymen's determination to find work abroad despite the uncertainties caused by the pandemic.
Most of the OFWs seen here are women bound for Qatar in Western Asia. They told the Manila Bulletin that they will work there as domestic helpers.
According to them, the lack of employment opportunities here in the Philippines--a perennial problem worsened by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic--is the main reason why they have opted to "gamble" in a foreign land.
Manila Bulletin estimated that the queue had as many as 400 people at one time.
Local aviation authorities have earlier said that outbound travel won't be restricted at airports amid the prevailing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the "Greater Manila Area". This is because the current level of airline passengers is just 20 percent that of the pre-pandemic level.
Meanwhile, inbound Filipino traveler arrivals are limited to just 1,500 a day. Foreigners, except those traveling with their Filipino relatives, are still barred from entering the Philippines.