MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Gamboa on Tuesday ordered police commanders nationwide to protect returning Filipino migrant workers from discrimination.
With this, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield, said his group would ensure that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) would not be harassed and prohibited from entering their hometowns.
“Like our medical frontliners, our OFWs do not deserve to be discriminated [against] and unfairly treated in their own land. Our President, Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte, himself said that the sacrifices and contribution of the OFWs to our economy should not be repaid with these kinds of unfair treatment,” Eleazar said in a statement.
In a public address on Monday, Duterte warned local government units against imposing their own guidelines, especially on matters concerning returning OFWs.
Eleazar said OFWs should be respected as they were aware of health protocols, such as the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
“We understand the concerns of the local government units especially on the safety of their constituents but if these protocols were already followed and the OFWs were already given a clearance to go home, there is no reason for the local officials to treat them unfairly,” Eleazar said.
/atm