The Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19 pandemic should “mobilize all resources to ease the pain” of thousands of Cebu-bound overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and other travelers whose flights from abroad will be diverted to Manila upon the government’s order.
The call was issued by Senator Joel Villanueva who stressed that, “The massive inconvenience this will cause must be addressed by the government.”
Whatever expenses the OFWs will have to incur during “this travel disruption not of their own making” must be shouldered by the government, said Villanueva, chairman of the Senate labor committee.
“Many of the returning OFWs are financially hard up, especially those who have just lost their jobs amid the pandemic. Where do we expect to raise money for their journey back home? The move may just add up to their expenses,” the senator said in Filipino.
Malacañang has ordered all international flights bound for the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to be redirected to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from May 29 to June 5, 2021.
“Although it will only last for a week, it will surely set off a domino effect of inconveniences to be felt by all parties, from passengers to carriers, to government agencies who must be ready with room accommodations and other contingencies,” Villanueva said.
Latest data from MCIA show that about 13 to 15 flights will be affected by the redirection, but “this will still give added burden to the government’s reception system,” Villanueva explained.
He suggested that for affected OFWs bound for the Visayas and Mindanao, the government should charter “reliever” flights instead.
Image courtesy of Benjamin Layug
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