By Argyll Geducos, Marjaleen Ramos, and Roy Mabasa The Philippines has temporarily banned travel to South Korea, except for permanent residents of the East Asian nation, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and those who are leaving to study in that country. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) It is also banning travelers from South Korea’s North Gyeongsang province amid the rise of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the area. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo announced this after South Korea confirmed 169 more cases of the disease, raising the total number of infections to 1,146. “The Inter-Agency has authorized Filipinos to travel to South Korea, provided they are permanent residents thereof, or leaving for study, or are OFWs. They are to execute and sign a declaration signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risk involved prior to their travel,” he said. “Yes . For their own safety,” he added. According to Panelo, the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) shall conduct a risk assessment of the situation within 48 hours to analyze whether it is necessary to expand the travel ban. In the meantime, he said, strict protocols on travelers entering the country from North Gyeongsang province will be observed. “The safety of Filipinos here and abroad remains our primary concern. Our countrymen's welfare is foremost in the mind of the President and as well as concerned officials,” Panelo said. “They will be discussing this matter and make recommendations with respect to the management of the coronavirus.” While COVID-19 infections continue to rise in South Korea, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they have not received any request for repatriation from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there. Fortunately, no Filipino has been infected so far, Bello said, adding that there are about 60,000 Filipino workers in South Korea. “Most of them are factory workers. Some work in wellness. We have many skilled workers there and very few household service workers,” said Bello. READ MORE: No repatriation request yet from OFWs in South Korea – Bello Quarantine begins Meanwhile, a total of  445 Filipino crew members and passengers of the mammoth cruise ship finally made it home Tuesday night and are now under the care of Philippine health authorities after spending a tormenting 20-day restriction inside coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-hit MV Diamond Princess in  the port of Yokohama, Japan. The 445 Filipino cruise ship crew members and passengers, along with the 13 members of the government repatriation team and the crew of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight, were taken to the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City in Tarlac for the 14-day quarantine program of the Department of Health (DOH) at past midnight Wednesday. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), one of the key agencies tasked to execute the elaborate repatriation plan, declared the entire operation a “success” shortly after the repatriates were taken to the quarantine area. The DFA said all arrangements upon arrival were handled as agreed upon in the Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution 07 issued on Feb. 21, 2020. The trek back of 445 Filipino crew members and passengers to the Philippines started on Tuesday morning after the release of negative laboratory results of tests conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW). Based on the DFA account, the repatriates were allowed to disembark from the ship and transfer by bus to Haneda airport, an operation strictly overseen by and coordinated with the Japan Self Defense Forces. The first flight, which carried 309 passengers, as well as a two-member repatriation team from the DFA and a four-member health response team from the DOH arrived at Clark Airbase at 10:10 p.m. of February 25. The second flight, with 136 passengers in addition to a two-member DFA team and a five-member team from the DOH, arrived at 12:12 a.m. of February 26. Both flights were received at the Haribon Hangar in Clark Airbase, Pampanga. The MV Diamond Princess carried a combined total of 538 Filipino crew and passengers of which 80 persons tested positive for COVID-19 and have been admitted to Japanese hospitals. The cruise ship was put under quarantine in Yokohama port since February 5, after one of its passengers tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said the Duterte government should urgently craft a “resilience plan” that will allow the economy “to deftly evade” the brunt of the COVID-19 and the shutdown of plants and back offices of Honda, Wells Fargo, and other multinationals in the country. He made the call as he initiated a series of hearings that will draw a roadmap to create Philippine world-class products and services that will proudly bear the country’s brand. “Yes, there is no vaccine yet against the virus. But, in terms of protecting our economy, in increasing its defenses, I believe that government must have a contingency plan,” said Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee. (With reports from Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Hannah L. Torregoza) READ MORE: Angara pushes gov’t to create economic ‘resilience plan’ amid COVID-19 challenge