BAGUIO CITY April 13 – The Cordillera office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA-CAR) disclosed that there are families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the different parts of the region who had been allegedly discriminated by the members of their own families in the light of the extended Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
OWWA-CAR Regional Director Manuela Peña said that it has been disheartening to learn about the alleged discrimination of returning OFWs considering that they came home primarily because they were terminated from their jobs due to the serious negative impact of the ECQ to fight the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
She claimed that there has been a misconception about seamen where all vessels are reportedly infected with the deadly virus and all returning seaman are alleged carriers of the virus, thus, there were reported instances when their families did not accept them and compelled them to undergo the required 14-day home isolation.
Further, the OWWA-CAR Director even reported that there was an instance when a returning OFW was in tears because her family did not reportedly accept her for fear of contracting the contagious virus and what was hurting to the OFW was that the material things that she brought from abroad was more important than her presence in their family.
She narrated that in another case, it took the municipal health officer of Bauko, Mountain Province to certify that a returning OFW, who was stranded in Baguio City, completed the required quarantine period and accompany the same to rejoin his family which should not be the case.
According to her, returning OFWs are mandated to undergo the required 14-day home quarantine in an established isolation facility and that prior to their being discharged, medical officers are mandated to issue the required medical certificate giving the OFWs a clean bill of health and free from the symptoms of the virus.
The OWWA-CAR official claimed that family members of OFWs should not discriminate their returning love ones considering that OWWA and health authorities ensure that they will undergo the required quarantine period and are free from the symptoms of the deadly virus before giving them the clean bill of health for them to be able to join their families.
She called on the family members of the returning OFWs that they should understand the sacrifices done by their returning relatives and that they should not deserve such treatment from them considering that they are coming home with a heavy heart after being terminated from their work, thus, they deserve the comfort from them to allow them to cope up with the situation and look for other employment opportunities that will sustain their living condition.
She also warned returning OFWs to be wary of enterprising taxi drivers in their airport who might make false representations that will entail them from spending more than what they usually spend when going home to their places of origin when spending a break considering the proliferation of unscrupulous taxi drivers taking advantage of the ECQ to get one over the returning OFWs.
By DEXTER A. SEE