By Genalyn Kabiling The overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have begun returning to their hometowns have already obtained their health clearance certificates, Malacañang said Monday (May 25). Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr.(CAMILLE ANTE / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the clarification after President Duterte gave health and local authorities a week to ensure the return of OFWs stuck in quarantine centers in Metro Manila to their hometowns. The President's directive came in the wake of complaints that some OFWs were staying beyond the mandatory 14-day quarantine period due to the delay in their test results for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). "Lahat po ng pinauwi na OFWs (All OFWs who were sent home) have health certificates since they have been subjected to PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests," Roque said in a message to reporters. Roque said OFWs must test negative before being allowed to return to their homes. They will be given a copy of their quarantine certificates prior to boarding airplanes, buses, or ships for homebound travel, he added. "Lahat po dapat negative ang results. Pero ang utos po ng Presidente – hindi na niya tinatanong kung ano ang naging aberya at nagtagal iyong ilang mga resulta – kinakailangan lahat ng resulta ay lumabas sa linggong ito ng sa ganoon, lahat ay makauwi sa linggong ito (All should have negative results. But the President's order is -- he is no longer asking about the problem that cause the delay -- the results must be released this week so everyone can go home this week)," he added. Shortly after the President’s order, Roque said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has started to arrange flights for OFWs so they can return to their home provinces. "'Yung mga kababayan po natin na mga taga-Luzon ay sila po ay ihahatid sa kanilang mga probinsiya sa pamamagitan ng bus. Doon po sa mga taga-Visayas at Mindanao, sila po ay ihahatid sa pamamagitan ng eroplano at ng mga barko (Our countrymen living in Luzon will be ferried to their provinces by buses. Those living in Visayas and Mindanao will be brought home by airplanes and ships)," he said. Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez reportedly bewailed that some national government agencies have told him to accept the repatriates even if they were supposedly "undocumented" and "untested" for the coronavirus. Gomez, in a Facebook post, said Ormoc City remained coronavirus-free but may be put at risk if an infected person enters the city due to the supposed "carelessness" of some state agencies.