Expanded deployment ban exemption for health workers up for Duterte’s OK

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s task force on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is waiting for  President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of a proposal to allow health workers with complete documents as of August 28 to leave the country, Malacañang said Thursday.

“Napagusapan na po yan kasi merong proposal na i-allow, ito po’y proposal lamang, i-allow yung mga nurses na nakaayos ng papel as of August 28 pero kinakailangan po muna konsultahin ang Presidente,” Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases spokesperson Harry Roque said.

(This has already been talked about because there was a proposal to allow nurses who have completed their documents as of August 28 but this has to be consulted with the President.)

“Kasi yung desisyon po na mag-impose muna ng moratorium ay desisyon po ng Presidente at ayaw naman naming pangunahan po ang ating Presidente,” he added.

(Because the decision to impose a moratorium was the President’s decision, we don’t want to get ahead of him.)

Health workers with existing employment contracts as of March 8 are only the ones exempted from the deployment ban.

Earlier, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III recommended the expansion of exemption covered by the overseas deployment ban of health workers.

/MUF