Over 16K OFWs sent home from quarantine sites — Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Over 16,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in different quarantine facilities have so far been released, Malacañang reported Thursday three days since President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the immediate release of some 24,000 COVID-19-cleared OFWs.

In a televised Palace briefing, presidential spokesman Harry Roque assured that all the Filipino migrant workers sent home tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

“Uulitin ko po, lahat ng 16,000 na pinauwi ay negatibo po sila sa COVID-19 base sa PCR tests,” Roque said.

All returning Filipinos are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine in different facilities and get tested for COVID-19 before being allowed to return home.

However, thousands of OFWs have reportedly complained of the slow release of their results and clearances after weeks of staying in quarantine.

This prompted Duterte to give concerned government agencies a week to speed up the release of OFWs who have already complied with the health protocols.

On Thursday, Roque said three flights are scheduled to ferry OFWs back to their homes in Davao City, Dumaguete City, and Puerto Princesa City.

Meanwhile, two ships carrying over 1,200 OFWs are bound for Cebu, Dumaguete City, Ozamis City, Iligan, and Zamboanga.

The Palace official likewise reported that “approximately 100” buses from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange are set to transport OFWs to different provinces in Northern and Southern Luzon.