OFWs stranded at Clark Airport due to quarantine to get free food, lodging

MANILA, Philippines — More than 200 Filipino migrant workers, who are now stranded at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga after public transport services were suspended under the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, will be given free food and lodging, government-owned firms have assured Friday.

The accommodations will protect the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from the outbreak of the coronavirus disease amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, the firms said in a joint statement.

“Starting Thursday, March 19, these passengers will be provided with free food and lodging. They will be housed in various locations in Clark,” read the joint statement of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Clark Development Corporation, Clark International Airport, Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corporation, and Clark Development Corporation.

“They will be taken good care of while in Clark, until the imposed lockdowns in their destinations are lifted,” it added.

The OFWs were stranded for days at the Clark International Airport following the suspension of mass transport services, which is one of the measures set by the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

Clark International Airport will remain open for inbound and outbound international flights amid the quarantine.

“For international outbound flights, only OFWs, balikbayans, and foreign nationals will be allowed to leave, while inbound international passengers will be subjected to strict quarantine protocols,” read the statement.

/MUF