Tukaram (Tim) Posted April 13, 2020 Posted April 13, 2020 The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, big surprise, I think that is true for most bureaucracies. As you may have heard, we are in the middle of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) here in the Philippines. Well, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Iloilo is supposed to allow 100 OFWs to come back from Manila. I do not know what the Iloilo city mayor has to say, but the mayor of Conception disagrees. I agree with this mayor, and hope he can stand up to the OWWA. I have not heard anything else from Manila about this, or how they try to fit it into the newly extended ECQ and domestic travel ban. The next month may get interesting around here. ( will highlight some of what I see as key phrases) Quote The municipality of Concepcion, Iloilo will not allow Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from their town to return home amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the province... In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mayor Raul Banias said he received a letter from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) instructing them to allow OFWs to return from abroad or from Manila directly to their families. He said that he will not allow the workers to re-enter to protect the town’s residents and their families. “I have to protect you, your families and our kasimanwas. Let it be known. I have received a letter from OWWA instructing us to allow our kasimanwas to go home from abroad. I am sorry I will not allow OFWs including seamen to come back from abroad or from Manila and go home to their families directly,” Banias said. In the same post, he added that they must be tested and quarantined in facilities first before they return. He also added that the OFWs will still undergo 14-day quarantine in the town’s facilities located in its public schools. “They should be tested first and then [Department of Health] quarantine them. If results are negative they can go home but I will put them in School Quarantine to complete the 14 days for strict monitoring. I will not allow Home Quarantine,” he said. RESPONSES TO COMMENTS Banias also responded to comments made by residents and netizens to his post. He clarified that he cannot readily accept the OWWA’s statement that these OFWs had already completed their quarantine. He cited the latest case in Iloilo City, a 40-year-old male from La Paz district who had history of travel to the United Kingdom. “There is re-infection so we [cannot] be safe to just accept OWWA’s statement that they already complete their quarantine. Take a look at the latest case of Positive Case in Iloilo City. He came from UK,” he said. One netizen commented that his seafarer relative was stuck in Manila for a month. He also asked the mayor for his help getting the seaman home. The mayor replied, saying that it would be better for the relative to stay in Manila for the moment. Banias added that he may provide financial help to the OFW if he chose to stay in Manila. “Better if he will stay na lang sa Manila anay. Mabulig ako financial sa akon masarangan kon didto sya sa Manila. Kon mag abot diri sya indi man sya gihapon maka lusot sa tanan nga checkpoints kay wala pa sya ECQ pass. And even if may ECQ Pass sya, wala madala sa exemptions ang pag pauli sang seaman or OFW. I have to protect him and also his family and all our kasimanwas,” he replied. Source: https://dailyguardian.com.ph/iloilo-town-mayor-bars-returning-ofws/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support scott h Posted April 13, 2020 Forum Support Posted April 13, 2020 3 hours ago, Tukaram (Tim) said: stand up to the OWWA In the meantime they are protesting the ban on nurses going over seas. Seems to me that with the shortage of medical staff they would want to keep them all home 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey G Posted April 13, 2020 Posted April 13, 2020 I guess it depends where you're living... but in E. Samar... "a shortage of medical staff" has existed forever. Hundreds of nurses leave the area, most as OFW's, and are the primary source of income for many families... it's an overarching family strategy to get ahead. With that said, I don't know if they would get hired even if they stayed. On the quarantine... If it was me, I would do the 14 day quarantine wherever they say. Helping to avoid a possible hospital stay in the Philippines would be (and always is) one of my primary objectives. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tukaram (Tim) Posted April 13, 2020 Author Posted April 13, 2020 2 hours ago, scott h said: In the meantime they are protesting the ban on nurses going over seas. Seems to me that with the shortage of medical staff they would want to keep them all home That makes sense for them... The OWWA wants to dump the OFWs that are in Manila back at their homes. If there are nurses that want to go overseas, the OWWA probably makes money off them. We have a friend that is a nurse in Kuwait that wants to come home, and they said she has stay on her contract. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthdome Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 My wife's oldest sister is an OFW nurse in Saudi. She decided not to return to the Philippines for her 1 month back every 6 months because she might not be allowed to return to work after her vacation. She has reported that there are some COVID-19 patients in the hospital where she works in Saudi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts