The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation wants to get to the bottom of the long queues of returning Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at local airports.
Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop said that such long lines shouldn't exist anymore with the implementation of the eArrival Card, which replaced the One Health Pass (OHP) requirement.
“The House Committee on Transportation under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez is seriously considering conducting a congressional probe on this if the MIAA (Manila International Airport Authority) and the DOH-BOQ (Department of Health - Bureau of Quarantine) do not address this immediately,” Acop said.
He said that the eArrival Card should have made the arrival of OFWs and returning Filipinos more convenient, not more difficult and miserable.
“MIAA and DOH-BOQ should immediately address this. Hindi pwedeng patagalin ang ganitong klaseng paghihirap ng ating mga pasahero (This kind of suffering among out passengers must not be prolonged)," the panel chairman said.
Complaints have been flooding airports authorities in connection with the long queues of Filipino passengers. Acop said even his colleagues from the House of Representatives expressed their disappointment when they saw the long lines at the airports with their own eyes.
“VIP treatment dapat ang treatment natin sa mga returning OFWS dahil sa tulong nila sa ating ekonomiya. Pero nakakalungkot masaksihan na pauwi na lang sila sa kanilang pamilya eh dito pa sila sa sariling airport natin mahihirapan (Returning OFWs should have VIP treatment upon their arrival for buoying our economy. Instead, it's saddening to see that they have to endure this inconvenience at our own airport before they get reunited with their families)," the former police brigadier general said.
“Magpa-pasko pa naman. Dadami pa ang uuwing Pilipino sa ating bansa. Ayaw natin na lumala ang haba ng mga pila sa ating airports (Christmas is near. More Filipinos will come back home to the country. We don't want the situation at the airports to worsen)," added Acop.