Homebound OFWs in Indonesia fear displacement due to travel ban

Published July 15, 2021 5:20pm Homebound overseas Filipino workers in Indonesia face displacement due to the Philippines' travel ban on inbound travelers from the country. Interviewed on Balitanghali on Thursday, Norwin Castro, a Filipino community leader in Indonesia, said the biggest issue OFWs are facing right now is the Philippines' imposition of a travel ban on inbound flights from Indonesia from July 16 until the end of the month. "Ang mga homebound OFWs natin ay ma-di-displace sila. Hindi muna sila makakauwi. Meanwhile, they have to extend their visas at kinakailangan na maghanap ng accommodation dahil tapos na contracts nila," Castro said. Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte imposed the ban because Indonesia is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, posting record numbers in the last few days to reach a total of over 2.6 million confirmed cases. Passengers already in transit from Indonesia and all those who have been to the same within 14 days immediately preceding arrival to the Philippines who arrive before 12:01 a.m. on July 16 will still be allowed to enter the country but will be required to undergo a full 14-day facility quarantine and present a negative Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) result. Castro said the Philippine Embassy in Indonesia is already coordinating with the OFWs for assistance. He added that the Filipino community also raised funds to help OFWs infected with the virus. —Ma. Angelica Garcia/NB, GMA News

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