(Photo screengrab from DOLE Facebook)
“Yung pong mga OFWs na papasok ng UK ay hindi po kabilang dito sa ipinagbabawal na makapasok sa UK. So exempted po sila (OFWs that are bound for UK are not included among those prohibited to enter the UK. So they’re exempted),” Francia, chief of the Information and Publication Service (IPS), said during a virtual press briefing.
He said the information came from Amy Reyes, the Philippine Labor Attaché in the UK.
Francia, however, said that the UK-bound OFWs must “go through the protocol” of the host country in relation to the persisting coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULELTIN)
“502,581 (OFWs) have been repatriated and sent to their home provinces,” Department of Labor and Employment-Information and Publication Service (DOLE-IPS) Director Rolly Francia told labor beat reporters on Easter Sunday, April 4.
The figure was based on Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head Hans Leo Cacdac’s report to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III. According to the OWWA report, the repatriates have been safely transported back to theIr home provinces after undergoing COVID tests and quarantine protocols in various hotels.
A total of 1,471 individuals comprised the latest batch of OFWs who were sent home on Black Saturday, DOLE said.
(Photo via Ellson Quismorio)
Bello made the announcement during the agency’s weekly virtual press briefing that same day, as he bared that three DOLE employees had just tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Cabinet official said he underwent a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and the result came out negative.
DOLE Information and Publication Service (IPS) Director Rolly Francia’s test also turned out negative.
Bello said some offices within DOLE would reopen on Friday in order to render service to the public.
The sudden lockdown changed the set-up of the weekly presser, which in effect clued the reporters in that something was amiss.
Lesson learned? DOLE cautious on giving UK nurse deal updates mb.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mb.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III underscored on Tuesday, March 9 the heavy implications of following minimum public health standards (MPHS), especially now that a good number of Filipinos have "regained" their jobs amid the pandemic.