SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—At least 377 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), arriving here from the Clark Freeport at the height of Typhoon Rolly, had been accommodated in hotels for quarantine.
The first batch of 104 OFWs arrived on Nov. 1 and another batch of 273 arrived on Nov. 2.
They were billeted in various hotels accredited by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Bureau of Quarantine.
Wilma Eisma, SBMA chair and administrator, said the OFWs were given temporary lodging since Sunday when Rolly threatened Metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon.
“We took them in for humanitarian reasons—and subject to strict health protocols— because there was a storm coming and our kababayans would be trapped at the Clark airport otherwise,” said Eisma in a press release.
She said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), which is bringing about 500,000 OFWs back to the country, made a “frantic call for help” as hotels in Pampanga province that were accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for such purpose were already full.
Eisma said she requested clearance from the local government units near Subic and they had agreed to take the OFWs in. The returning OFWs were subjected to coronavirus tests before they were brought to Subic quarantine hotels.