Palace seeks OWWA inventory amid OFWs’ complaints on long wait for COVID-19 results in quarantine centers

Roque says President Duterte concerned with plight of OFWs under quarantine

Presidential Spokespersom Harry Roque holds a virtual presser on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 in Malacanang. Screengrab from PCOO/RTVM video (Courtesy PCOO/RTVM)

 

(Eagle News) – Malacanang said that it would already take action on concerns by repatriated overseas Filipinos who had complained of how they had been staying for almost a month in some quarantine facilities without knowing their COVID-19 test results.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that he had been hearing reports on the plight of these OFWs who had been under quarantine for more than 14 days already, but had not yet been released or sent to their homes.

He said that the Palace would ask the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) to submit an inventory of these OFWs who had been staying for a long time now in the country’s various quarantine facilities.

“Alam niyo po talaga, aaktuhan na namin yan. Normally, sinasabi ko tinitingnan na yan ng OWWA, pero yan po ang pangako ko, Sige Pakikialaman na namin yan,” he said in a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, May 19.

Roque said that even President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his concern about these OFWs.

At ang Presidente rin ay nagiging concerned na dito. Dahil nga ang ating mga OFWs nawalan na ng trabaho, gusto nang makauwi. Titingnan natin kung paano mapapabilis yan.. We will look into this now. We will go out of our way and actually ask OWWA for an inventory, lalung lalo na kung ilan na ang napaakatagal nang naghihintay ng kanilang resulta, and really ask our laboratories kung kaya nyo ba o hindi?” he said.

Roque said that they would ask OWWA for an inventory of the number overseas Filipinos who had are waiting for results of their swab tests.

Hihingi tayo ng imbentaryp sa OWWA, kung ilang ang naghihintay ng resulta, Bakit ganoon katagal, at bibbigyan ko kayo ng abisao kung ano ang sasabihin ng OWWA” the Palace spokesperson said.

There are currently more than 27,000 overseas Filipinos who had been repatriated in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the government’s protocols, they are required to undergo 14 days of quarantine, and wait for the results of their swab tests. If they test positive, they will be taken to a hospital if symptomatic, or to an isolation facility if asymptomatic. They will then have to wait until their swab test results show negative for COVID-19.

As of now, there are 30 Department of Health certified COVID-19 laboratories which can process PCR tests.

(Eagle News Service)