ONLY the swab test conducted on the seventh day from the arrival of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) or returning overseas Filipino (ROF) is currently paid for or subsidized by the government, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday, June 7, 2021.
In a virtual press conference Monday, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has sanctioned only the Day 7 testing for the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Discussions are still ongoing on Cebu Province's swab upon arrival policy.
"'Yung sanctioned po ng ating gobyerno ay ang Day 7 testing. Ngayon, kung nagda-Day 1 testing po tayo, 'yan po ay isa sa kailangang pag-usapan, na pinag-uusapan naman po ngayon dahil ang Office of the President received the recommendations na from the different government agencies regarding the proposal of Cebu Province," Vergeire said.
(What has been sanctioned by the government is the Day 7 testing. We need to talk about Day 1 testing. Discussions are ongoing because the Office of the President has already received the recommendations on the proposal of Cebu Province.)
Per IATF protocol, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) pays for the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and quarantine expenses of OFWs.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), on the other hand, subsidizes the cost of the RT-PCR test of its members and beneficiaries of PhilHealth members.
Those who are not members of PhilHealth, like some ROFs, pay for their tests, Vergeire said.
A memorandum that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia issued on May 20, 2021, a copy of which was furnished SunStar on June 5, requires two swab tests to be conducted on OFWs and ROFs.
The first is upon arrival at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the second on Day 7 from arrival, which will be conducted by the local government unit (LGU).
This memorandum also requires those with negative test results to undergo home quarantine after they are released from their quarantine hotels and complete the IATF protocol of 14 days of quarantine from arrival.
The May 20 memorandum amended Garcia's May 13, 2021 memorandum, which specified the arrival protocol for transiting OFWs and ROFs, and reiterated the arrival protocol for Cebu residents based on Executive Order No. 17 and Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-04.
President Rodrigo Duterte had asked the DOH to critique Cebu's arrival protocol.
On Friday, June 4, Vergeire said the DOH was standing firm in the enforcement of the IATF protocol, which requires ROFs and OFWs to undergo facility-based quarantine for 10 days.
They will be swabbed on Day 7 and, if negative, will be allowed to go home. They must, however, complete four more days of home quarantine.
As of Monday, Vergeire said they have already submitted their recommendations to the President. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)