Negros execs resist arrival of OFWs

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Local government officials in Negros Occidental and in this city have expressed dismay over the scheduled arrival of 210 seafarers in the province.

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the matter was not properly coordinated with the provincial government.

In a letter, Mayor Evelio Leonardia requested Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles to coordinate the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from various places in the country to Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

The voyage for the 210 seafarers was authorized by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of COVID-19 national action plans.

The seafarers, including 116 Bacoleños and 88 others from different areas of the province, are part of the 672 OFWs set to arrive in Western Visayas on April 28 and 30 on board a 2GO vessel.

The provincial government informed Jose Roberto Nuñez, chief of the regional disaster risk reduction management committee, that it would refuse entry to 88 seafarers.

Jonathan Lobaton, chief of the provincial incident management team, said the Western Visayas regional task force has passed a resolution requiring mandatory testing of OFWs.

The testing should be conducted at the point of origin of the OFWs before their repatriation to different provinces in the region. 

Only those who test negative will be allowed entry to the region.

Allowing entry of OFWs who did not underwent mandatory testing is a violation of the resolution, Lobaton said.

“We have 130 people in our quarantine area manned by our personnel. The arrival of 88 seafarers will hamper our operation,” he added.

Leonardia said the recent development ruined the city government’s coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration on the scheduling of voyage for repatriated Bacolod OFWs.

He said the city and provincial governments agreed that there should be prior coordination on the number of OFWs to be accommodated at a given time.

He said the local governments have the right to impose their own health protocols on arriving OFWs, regardless of the previous protocols they may have undergone before their repatriation.

Leonardia said they understand that these OFWs have to come home, but space availability in local quarantine centers must be considered. 

The province has 13 confirmed cases, including nine in Bacolod.

Two of 35 OFWs who arrived on board a roll-on roll-off vessel from Cebu two weeks ago tested positive for COVID-19, although they were issued clearances by the Department of Health.