Subic Freeport steps up precautions as more OFWs arrive

By: Joanna Rose Aglibot - @inquirerdotnet SUBIC BAY FREEPORT––Despite strict travel restrictions, the Subic Bay International Airport will continue to accommodate the arrival of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) via Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights under the government’s repatriation program. In a statement on Dec. 5, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said two PAL aircraft carrying more OFWs from the United Arab Emirates arrived in this freeport that day within two hours. Since July last year, 42 OFW flights or 11,410 repatriated individuals have arrived via the Subic airport. “The OFWs continue to be repatriated through Subic, and everything’s as normal as when the program started here in July,” SBMA Chair Wilma Eisma said. She added: “We can be assured that no passengers will be brought here from any red-listed country because the government has prohibited the inbound international travel of all persons from red-list areas regardless of vaccination status.” The national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) had placed South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique on the red list after the new and highly transmissible Omicron variant was identified in South Africa on Nov. 25. The IATF added Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy to its red list effective Nov. 28 until Dec. 15. Eisma said the OFW repatriation program in this freeport is handled carefully by the Department of Transportation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Bureau of Quarantine. “We all see to it that IATF guidelines on health safety are strictly enforced while the repatriation program continues here,” she added. Ronnie Yambao, the SBMA senior deputy administrator for operations, said more PAL flights would arrive here this month because of the holiday season. INQ

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