By Leslie Ann Aquino
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, starting Thursday, will no longer accept applications for cash assistance from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were affected by the travel ban to Hong Kong and Macau.
"Simula po bukas ay hindi na tayo tatanggap ng applications mula sa mga HK & Macau OFWs (Starting tomorrow we will no longer accept applications from HK and Macau OFWs)," OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said in his Twitter account @HansLeoCacdac Wednesday.
He said they have also stopped giving cash assistance to Taiwan OFWs. On Tuesday, the government lifted the travel ban for new hires and returning workers to Hong Kong and Macau. Days before, the travel ban to Taiwan was also lifted. Cacdac said as of Feb. 19, the cash assistance released to stranded OFWs amounted to P80.6 million. The labor department earlier directed OWWA to provide P10,000 cash assistance, accommodation, and transportation to OFWs who were stranded due to the travel ban to China, Hongkong, Macau, and Taiwan. The travel ban was imposed as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease. READ MORE:Â Travel ban to HK, Macau partially liftedReal-time nationwide update po ng cash assistance natin sa stranded China, HK, Macau & Taiwan OFWs dahil sa nCoV travel ban. Huminto na tayo ng pagbigay ng cash assistance sa Taiwan OFWs. Simula po bukas ay hindi na tayo tatanggap ng applications mula sa mga HK & Macau OFWs. pic.twitter.com/wtDt59gEpo
— hans leo j. cacdac (@HansLeoCacdac) February 19, 2020