THE government’s air assets have been ordered deployed by President Rodrigo Duterte to bring home Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) affected by the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong.
According to Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, President Duterte already tasked Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to lead the operations of the repatriation service.
According to Andanar, Lorenzana is already coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the country’s consulate for the deployment of air assets such as the C-130 or chartered commercial flights.
The order of the president came after he was informed of the hardships being experienced by OFWs in Hong Kong who were afflicted with COVID-19, with some of them even terminated from their jobs by their employers after contracting the disease.
Andanar said the president felt sad upon learning of the situation of our kababayans in Hong Kong.
However, Andanar assured that the government is already doing what it can and is coordinating with the consulate, which is the one taking the lead in protecting and helping affected OFWs.