The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration on Wednesday warned that its P11 billion budget for the quarantine accommodation of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFW) this year has dipped to P1.4-billion, and could be totally depleted by next month.
This despite the continuous influx of arriving OFWs at “manageable levels” after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) implemented a 1,500 daily cap for inbound passengers.
In an online news briefing on Wednesday, OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac said they would finally use up their entire P11 billion budget for quarantine accommodations by the second or fourth week of May.
“Once it is depleted, we will no longer have any funds to pay for the transportation and hotel accommodations of OFWs and there will be delays in our payment of our billings,” Cacdac said.
But he said he is confident this may not happen with the necessary support from concerned agencies.
Cacdac said they are currently in talks with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as well as the Inter Agency for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on how the could address their fund woes.
Manageable level
The DBM earlier suggested that OWWA could tap its trust fund to obtain additional funding for its assistance to OFWs.
OWWA’s P11 billion budget, which was supposed to last for the entire year, was greatly diminished after the IATF required OFWs to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine in hotels before they are allowed to go home.
During the given period, Cacdac noted the number of OFWs staying in hotel accommodations provided by OWWA reached 10,000 to 12,000.
Prior to the said policy, OFWs underwent swab tests upon their arrival and were allowed to go home if they will test negative for the virus.
Cacdac said the number of incoming repatriated OFWs was greatly reduced and currently at just 6,500 after the IATF imposed its inbound travel cap last month.
Strict compliance
Until such time OWWA could address its funding issue as well as the high incidents of infections in the country, Cacdac reiterated his appeal to OFWs to temporarily postpone unnecessary travel to the country.
He noted this would allow OFWs to avoid staying in congested quarantine accommodations at the risk of being infected.
“We really don’t want that situation, where our quarantine facilities become saturated making it inconvenient for OFWs,” Cacdac explained.