JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday vowed the speedy resolution of cases that would be filed against local government officials who will deny the entry to returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have already completed their 14-day quarantine and found to be negative of Covid-19.
Guevarra made the assurance as 24,000 repatriated OFWs are expected to return to their respective hometowns after completing the mandatory quarantine period in Metro Manila.
Guevarra said he had already given instructions to the National Prosecution Service (NPS) to prioritize the investigation of cases that violate the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.
Last Monday, President Duterte ordered concerned government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to send home the estimated 24,000 OFWs who have already finished the mandatory quarantine period in Metro Manila.
Duterte said these OFWs, dubbed as the country’s “modern day heroes,” should be allowed to return home to their families and loved ones in the name of humanity and because it is their constitutional right to travel and go home.
He warned LGUs not to obstruct the movement of people because they run the risk of getting sued criminally.
“The President has already given instructions to all LGUs to accept the returning 24,000 OFWs to their hometowns. If LGU officials continue to defy this directive, they may be held administratively and criminally liable for violations of the Bayanihan Act,” Guevarra said.
“As SOJ [Secretary of Justice], I have already given instructions to the National Prosecution Service to give priority to the investigation of any and all cases related to the implementation of the Bayanihan Act and the various measures taken by the government pursuant thereto,” he added.