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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider DOLE allocates P250 million in aid for OFWs stranded in PH due to travel ban

DOLE allocates P250 million in aid for OFWs stranded in PH due to travel ban

Published Feb 7, 2020 12:00 am
By Leslie Ann Aquino The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has allocated P250 million to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the prevailing travel ban to China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau due to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak. MB FILE - DOLE secretary Silvestre Bello III (MANILA BULLETIN) DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III
(MANILA BULLETIN) "We are talking of about P250 million total budget financial assistance. That is just for the P10,000 cash assistance for each OFW unable to depart," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview Wednesday. Aside from cash assistance, he said affected OFWs are also provided with accommodation and transportation. "Some of them may not have their respective residences here (in Metro Manila). So they are provided with a temporary halfway house by OWWA (Overseas Worker Welfare Administration). As for those who opted to go back to their provinces, they were provided with transportation expenses," Bello said. The labor department earlier directed OWWA to provide P10,000 cash assistance, accommodation, and transportation to each stranded OFW. DOLE said this was to "help ease the burden on would-be departing workers, and assist them in their transport back to their places of origin." According to OWWA, P25.11 million has already been released for the 2,511 affected OFWs. Hundreds of OFWs bound mostly for Hongkong and Macau were stranded at Manila airports on Monday following the travel ban imposed by President Duterte as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the nCov that originated in Wuhan City, in Hubei province, China.
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