Cebu's rule on OFWs, ROF remains as international flights return to Mactan airport

CEBU, Philippines —  International flights are landing again at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and as far as Cebu Province is concerned, its policy on arriving Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF) stays.

“They were all in agreement that the Provincial Board ordinance is the recognized law of the land unless it is otherwise declared ultra vires by a proper court. So they all agreed they would have to follow the Provincial Board ordinance because they do not want to break the law or violate the law that is for Cebuanos,” said Gwendolyn Garcia in a press conference Monday, June 7.

Garcia had met with officials and representatives from the Department of Health; Department of Tourism; Overseas Workers Welfare Administration; Bureau of Quarantine; GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC); Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC); and MCIA.

The provincial ordinance stipulates a “Swab Upon Arrival” policy, which was put in place the first time as an executive order.

It requires OFWs and ROFs to be swabbed at MCIA upon arrival and to wait at a quarantine hotel for two days for the result. If the result is negative, they can proceed home and continue with quarantine there. On the seventh day, they will be swabbed again.

MCIA is implementing the policy when international flights returned on Sunday, June 6, 2021 even as Malacañang awaits comment on the rule from the DOH Central Office.

President Rodrigo Duterte asked DOH to “critique” on the Cebu policy after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases claimed it violated its current quarantine and testing protocols.

Back in Cebu, DOH-7 spokesperson and chief pathologist, Mary Jean Loreche, said the OFWs and ROFs would still have to undergo an RT-PCR test at the Mactan Airport even if they are fully vaccinated.

“Basta mo-enter sila sa MCIA, they have to undergo RT-PCR test upon arrival,” she said.

The national government diverted all international flights bound for Cebu to Manila temporarily for eight days starting on May 29, 2021 reportedly to address the lack of hotel and billeting facilities to accommodate arriving passengers who need to undergo quarantine at that time.

Arrivals

GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) Chief Executive Advisor Andrew Harrison said two flights from Singapore and Doha, Qatar arrived at MCIA on June 6.

Harrison said they will still limit the number of arriving international passengers to 300 per day to avoid overwhelming hotels.

"The number of passengers arriving will be in line with the current cap, which is also tied to the number of hotel rooms, and as the number of hotel rooms go up, we will seek to have that limit increased because we don't want that situation that they don't have hotel rooms," Harrison told reporters.

Garcia said they expect to have 5,000 hotel rooms available for OFWs and ROFs as more hotels have applied to convert their rooms into isolation areas. DOT and DOH will evaluate these applications.

These rooms intend to accommodate more OFWs and ROFs especially those who are not from Cebu. Garcia said there are provinces that do not accept OFWs and ROFs unless they have completed the 10-day isolation required by IATF.

“Even if the non-Cebuano OFWs will be subjected to a 10-day quarantine period here, we have a capacity of 5,000 for as long as the Cebuanos, upon the presentation of negative RT-PCR, will be allowed to go home,” Garcia said, adding, that only 20 percent of international passengers are Cebuanos.

Support

Meanwhile, Garcia thanked the Cebu congressmen who signed a manifesto of support for the policy on OFWs and ROFs.

“Being the elected representatives of their constituents, they have expressed in this manifesto the compassion for their own constituents and have abided by their sacred duty to speak out and stand for the welfare of their constituents,” Garcia said.

The eight congressmen urged the IATF to “respect the local autonomy of the Province of Cebu”.

Garcia also found an ally in Cebu City Vice mayor Michael Rama.

“I was very clear in support of her innovative approach in appreciating for purposes of really attaining a balanced position between the economy and our wanting to address the health issue,” Rama said.

Rama said he supports the policy because the COVID-19 situation in the city and Cebu as a whole has become very manageable. He also said the rollout of the vaccination program in Cebu City is now at a comfortable level, although still far from achieving herd immunity.

“Whoever is against this position must be mindful that in the Constitution, it is very clear in the fundamental law of the land that local governments shall enjoy local autonomy and the President exercises general supervision, not control, otherwise... ma-defeated na ang local autonomy,” he said.

He said Garcia is only working on this foundation.

Test Kits

In a related development, Loreche said testing kits in Cebu continue to dwindle but assured that DOH is doing its best to replenish them.

“Dili sad ko kaingon nga nagkuwang na ta og testing kits. This is just the law of supply and demand that although Cebu has low cases of COVID-19, other provinces such as Bohol and Negros Oriental have high cases, including Manila, nga ari nila gipadala ang samples sa atoa,” Loreche said.

She said they have already asked for additional kits from the DOH central office, procured the kits locally, and asked local government units for donations.

“We are finding ways and means, although we still have ample supply, our supply is not unlimited,” Loreche said. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol and Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, Dheif Daniel F. Yunting, USC Intern, JMO (FREEMAN)