The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) expressed concern over the possible increase in the number of stranded returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Metro Manila after the suspension of PhilHealth-funded COVID-19 testing the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III reported in an online forum that around 6,000 repatriated OFWs are currently staying in hotel quarantine sites in the National Capital Region (NCR) who have yet to return home pending swab test results.
Many OFWs are flying back to the country daily. Around 100,000 more are set to arrive in the coming months. With the temporary suspension of testing by the PRC, the DOLE is worried that expenses for accommodation and food of stranded OFWs may shoot up.
Sec. Bello is hoping for the immediate resolution of the problem between the PhilHealth and PRC. He is confident that PhilHealth will be able to pay its overdue balance after President Duterte vowed that the government will do so.
The labor department has assured that it will be able to assist OFWs despite the unresolved issue. – Report from Kenneth Paciente
