The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now bracing for the return of 30,000 to 40,000 more overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the coming months, even as the agency sought additional funds for quarantine costs from the Palace.
In an online news briefing on Wednesday, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III disclosed they are appealing for the allocation of a P4- billion fund, which is actually the balance of their initial P9.8-billion fund request from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“I have no doubt that the President will really grant our request for additional budget,” Bello said.
Last May, DBM announced the release of P5.2 billion to help the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to pay for the quarantine accommodations and other expenses of returning OFWs.
This was in response to the protocol implemented by the government for inbound passengers, which extended their quarantine in government facilities from two to three days to 10 days.
Bello said the continuous repatriation of thousands of OFWs per week amid the pandemic continue to put considerable strain on OWWA’s funding.
Currently, he said, around 605,000 OFWs were repatriated by the government since the onset of the pandemic last year.
“We are expecting 30,000 to 40,000 OFWs will be going home,” Bello said.
Bello welcomed the recent initiative of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to shorten the quarantine of fully vaccinated inbound travelers, including OFWs, to just seven days.
He noted this would help extend the life of OWWA’s funding to help returning OFWs a bit longer.
Image courtesy of Business Mirror file photo