STRANDED. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-Cordillera Administrative Region director Manuela Peña (far right standing) briefs the overseas Filipino workers who trooped to their office to avail of the PHP10,000 financial aid of the government. They were supposed to fly back to Macau Feb. 2 to 10 but were stranded due to the travel ban as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus threat. (PNA photo by Zedrick John Macario)
BAGUIO CITY -- An official of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-Cordillera Administrative Region (OWWA-CAR) said on Thursday they are giving PHP10,000 cash assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been stranded due to the novel coronavirus threat (2019-nCoV).
OWWA-CAR regional director Manuela Peña said the OFWs were supposed to go back to Hongkong, Macau and Mainland China from Feb. 2 to 9 but are not able to leave due to cancelation of flights.
“First week muna, because we do not know, maybe on the 10th or forthcoming, the ban will be lifted (It just for hose stranded on the first week because we don’t know, maybe on the 10th or forthcoming [days], the ban will be lifted),” she said.
Peña said they are preparing for contingencies in any case.
The OWWA regional welfare office on Magsaysay Road here is packed with some are local residents while there were others who came from other provinces like Nueva Ejica who want to avail of the government’s assistance.
There were releases of assistance on the same day.
Peña advised the OFWs to bring their overseas employment certificate (OEC), valid passport, work permit, identification card, employment contract and copy of their airline ticket showing their flight schedules.
“They must have a working visa, who are members of OWWA or processed by the POEA [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration] and not tourists,” she said.
Peña said they are hoping that everything will go back to normal because the financial assistance will not sustain the OFWs' needs.
“The objective of everyone is to go back to their work,” she said. (With a report from Zedrick John Macario, OJT/PNA)
