New protocol brings repatriated OFWs home in 5 days

A NEW protocol and an online tracking tool will bring repatriated overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) home in five days, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

In a statement, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said returning OFWs would no longer be made to stay in quarantine facilities for more than the required 14 days.

"The government will make sure that OFWs reach their places of origin within three to five days upon their arrival in the country," he said.

Bello said the fast-tracked system is made possible by the improved protocol of OFWs immediately being tested for the novel coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, which causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) immediately upon their arrival in the country.

Add to this is the introduction of the online repatriation tracking system called OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS), wherein returning OFWs will be advised to register.

"We will continue to upgrade government service to migrant workers as more of them are seen to be repatriated in the future," said Bello.

Under the new system, DOLE data show that between 200 and 300 OFWs daily are sent home to their provinces.

As of June 18, a total of 53,000 repatriated OFWs have already been reunited with their families.

The government estimates the number of OFWs who will return to the country this year to reach 300,000. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)