The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) expressed concern Friday, April 23 over the proposal to reduce the required quarantine days for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
In an interview over GMA News, LPP president and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr., noted that some local government units (LGUs) may not have the needed funds to house the OFWs for the remainder of their quarantine period in local facilities.
“Meron po kaming agam-agam po diyan dahil, isa po, alam niyo naman po ‘yung pondo po, para ho kami ang magbabayad ng kanilang pagkain at tirahan (We have reservations about that, for one, there is the funding concern because we will be the ones providing them food and lodging),’’ Velasco said.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III had strongly pushed that returning OFWs complete the rest of the 14-day quarantine period in their home provinces if they are able to test negative for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Velasco noted that accommodating the OFWs in the LGUs is also dependent on the availability of the hotels and other lodging establishments in the jurisdictions. Manpower requirements are also a great concern.
The LPP president asked concerned government agencies to coordinate with LGUs first before sending OFWs to their hometowns.
Bello cited the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration's (OWWA) fast-depleting funds as reason for suggesting a shortened quarantine period for OFWs. OWWA, an attached agency of DOLE, has been shouldering the accommodation and transportation expenses of OFWs displaced by the pandemic.
Bello noted that the testing positivity rate of returning OFWs this year has slid to 1.5 percent from 2.07 percent in 2020.
President Duterte has said that he is not prepared to accept less stringent quarantine and testing protocols for arriving OFWs.