Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has decided to “set aside” Executive Order (EO) No. 23 that warned government agencies and stakeholders of possible administrative and criminal charges if they fail to follow the “swab-upon-arrival” policy for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) arriving at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
The withdrawal of the governor’s EO came after President Duterte on Monday, June 21, instructed the enforcement of the IATF guidelines at MCIA.
“This EO I am now setting aside in deference to the President even as we look forward to on the scheduled meeting on June 28 with Secretary (Francisco) Duque and the same technical experts who had advised the President last as regards the need to strictly implement the IATF guidelines,” Garcia said Tuesday, June 22, through the Facebook live streaming of the province’s news portal Sugbo News.
For several weeks, the province clashed with the IATF after it insisted that the governor’s EO No. 17 that was later adopted into a provincial ordinance must be enforced at MCIA.
EO No. 17 stated that arriving OFWs and ROFs must be swabbed right away and if tested negative, must be allowed to go home and continue their 14-day quarantine at home with a swab testing on the seventh day.
The IATF resolution, on the other hand, requires OFWs and ROFs to undergo 10-day hotel quarantine with a swab testing conducted on the seventh day. A four-day quarantine at home must also be observed.
The contrasting policies had resulted to the diversion of MCIA-bound international flights to Manila for more than two weeks.
Garcia and other officials of Cebu even flew to the Malacañang and met the President to discuss the province’s own quarantine protocols.
“Many opinions have been cast. The IATF had insisted on the implementation of its own guidelines where the only basic difference is the 10-day hotel stay in comparison of the two to three days hotel stay of ROFs and OFWs,” Garcia said.
Despite the withdrawal of EO No. 23, Garcia said the province will still continue implementing the swab-upon-arrival policy at MCIA.
“Even if I set aside EO No. 23, we shall continue with the swab-upon-arrival policy because we have found that doing this gives us better control at those that arrive already testing positive. This will continue at no cost to OFWs and ROFs,” Garcia said.
The lady governor likewise thanked the President after he announced that the national government will shoulder the hotel expenses of arriving OFWs and ROFs.
“Allow me to thank the President for recognizing the wisdom of my plea that we give human consideration to OFWs and ROFs who come home not for leisure but, for the greater majority of them, they come home for family emergencies,” Garcia said.
She added that she is hoping that the province and the IATF can come up with “a win-win solution” during the upcoming meeting.
“The province will keep an open mind and listen even as we hope that Duque and the experts will listen as well to the data, science, experience, and actual ground reality that we shall present.”