OWWA: Short quarantine for inbound OFWs can save money

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said Sunday that the shortening of quarantine period for inbound OFWs is a welcome development as it would cut on expenses. In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Cacdac pointed out a number of advantages with the shortening of the isolation period. He said that many OFWs are already fully vaccinated, and who want to be reunited with their families. Also, the policy would slash on OWWA expenses for OFWs' stay in facilities. "Maraming mga OFW ay fully vaccinated na ... gusto na rin nilang makapiling ang kanilang pamilya, at syempre yung gastos sa isolation facilities," he said. He noted that at present there are 9,859 OFWs in hotel isolation facilities in the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces, and about 12,000 to 13,000 nationwide. Earlier the government allowed fully-vaccinated travelers from countries on the "green" or ''yellow" lists to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of the their negative COVD-19 swab test. Pressed on OWWA's fund for assistance to distressed OFWs, Cacdac said that livelihood assistance to pandemic-hit OFWs, and scholarship grants for their qualified children still continue. "Patuloy pa rin ang livelihood assistance, at scholarship ng mga anak ng OFWs na naapektuhan ng COVID-19 (livelihood assistance and scholarship grants continue), he said. Also, the Department of Labor's Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (DOLE-AKAP) program, which provides for a one-time financial assistance of P10,000, is still ongoing. But he said that OWWA is still waiting for fresh funds because the P5.2-billion fund for the program has already been spent. "Nag-a-antabay tayo kasi ang pondo ngayon na so far P5.2B ay naipamahagi na ng OWWA at ng DOLE" (We're waiting for the funds from Bayanihan 3 as the P5.2-B funds for the program has been used up). Then we will jumpstart the DOLE-AKAP. Moreover, he said they are continuously accepting applications until the fund becomes available. —LBG, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more