By Samuel P. Medenilla & Recto Mercene
THE country’s travel ban for China, Macau and Hong Kong will be in effect for at least two weeks to give the government time to assess if the spread of the 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is finally under control.
In a press conference,
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said President Duterte approved the
recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH) during the
Cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening to ensure the protection of overseas
Filipino workers (OFW).
This, despite the position of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which Bello supported, to exempt OFWs from the ban since it may lead to their retrenchment.
In the end, Duterte sided with the position of Health Secretary Franciso T. Duque III, who said the government cannot “gamble on the health of our workers.”
“He [Duque] recommended that we allow a period of two weeks and observe the situation, and then probably allow them [OFWs] to leave if the situation improves,” Bello said.
The labor chief said Duterte, upon the recommendation of DOH, will have the final say whether to lift or extend the travel ban.
Chinese government commitment
Cabinet Secretary Karlo B. Nograles said among the factors which could affect Duterte’s decision on the matter will be an official commitment from the Chinese officials to safeguard the welfare of OFWs bound for China, Hong Kong and Macau.
“The Chinese officials
are saying they will guarantee the health and safety of the workers, but it has
not been stated publicly yet. It was just a private exchange to [Foreign
Affairs] Secretary [Teodoro]
Locsin, himself, so let’s await developments,” Nograles said.
Nograles said Duterte would likely be more comfortable in lifting the travel ban for OFWs with a firm guarantee from the Chinese government.
He said Locsin is already communicating with the Chinese on the matter.
The two-week period started on February 2, when Malacañang announced the enforcement of the travel ban.
The ban stopped non-Filipino travelers coming from China, Hong Kong and Macau from entering the country, and at the same time all Filipinos from traveling to these places.
Potential displacement
Since the imposition of the travel ban, Bello said at least 600 OFWs, who are mostly balik manggagawa or vacationing OFWs, have been affected by it.
He said the OFWs have already availed themselves of the P10,000 cash assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP) has appealed to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to allow the resumption of the deployment of OFWs, particularly for Hong Kong.
“They are going to work, and their families are heavily banking on their earnings/remittances for their financial needs.
Some for schooling and some for medication of their loved ones,” SHARP President Alfredo P. Palmiery said in his letter to POEA.
“Their non-departure may lead to the cancellation of their visas and contracts by their employers who could not wait,” he added.
To ensure the safety of OFWs in Hong Kong, Palmiery said they are coordinating with their counterpart foreign recruitment agencies to require the employers to provide their OFWs with face masks, and limit their going out from the house to very necessary and important errands only.
Immigration guidelines
“FILIPINOS travelling to China, Hong Kong and Macau will not be allowed to leave the Philippines unless the passenger is part of a government delegation conducting official duties, a member of the World Health Organization, and other agencies involved in fighting or containing the spread of the virus. The ban includes overseas Filipino workers, as well as permanent residents of other countries.”
These are the guidelines that airport immigration agents across the country are required strictly to follow to implement the ban on the entry of travelers from China and its Special Administrative Regions due to the 2019-nCoV outbreak.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said he has ordered the bureau’s port personnel to see to it that the ban is implemented to the letter, and that all BI port personnel be told to exercise extra care and vigilance in screening arriving passengers.
“We have instructed our men at all the ports to actively participate and support efforts to combat the spread of the 2019-nCoV-ARD,” Morente said, as he shared the Bureau’s efforts in assisting the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) in filtering arriving passengers through “redundancy checks.”
He said that airlines and shipping agents were already advised not to board planes or ships with travel history to the concerned areas within the last 14 days.
“Apart from this, other countries have already implemented their own measures to curb the transmission of this virus, and some have restricted travel. There are countries that would not allow passengers to board if they are sick,” Morente said.
He reiterated the directive implemented by the Bureau of Immigration: “Following the order of the President, any passenger of any nationality who has been to China and their Special Administrative Regions within 14 days before coming to the Philippines shall automatically be denied entry. The only exception will be Filipino citizens and alien permanent status holders.”
Image credits: Nonie Reyes