MANILA, Philippines — There were no lapses in the sending home of locally stranded persons, only the lack of testing kits, Malacañang said yesterday, as some sectors blamed the Hatid Probinsya program for the increase in coronavirus cases in some provinces.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the testing kits were not enough because of the huge number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who returned to the Philippines because of the pandemic.
“Perhaps there are no lapses. What we have is the lack of testing kits,” Roque said at a press briefing.
“Many OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) went home... But I really think it’s not due to lapses but because of the huge number of OFWs who went home. We did not expect a huge number of OFWs to lose their jobs abroad,” he added.
The Hatid Probinsya, which seeks to help persons stranded because of quarantine restrictions, is under review after critics blamed the program for the rise in the number of infections in some areas.
In a recent joint statement, 14 Eastern Visayas lawmakers noted that the rapid increase in coronavirus cases in their region was recorded shortly after the program was implemented.
The lawmakers have urged the government to ensure that stranded persons are free from the virus before being sent home.
Roque said some local governments “panicked” after their areas recorded coronavirus cases.
“Perhaps some LGUs panicked because previously, they did not have a COVID case. But there is no problem. Even if you have a COVID case, you just need to quarantine, isolate and treat them. It’s not a problem,” he said in Filipino.
Roque said the government would buy additional test kits to address the issues related to stranded persons and returning migrant workers.