Filipinos living or working in the United Kingdom wanting to fly back to the Philippines might be exempted from the travel ban — that is if President Rodrigo Duterte would stick to his word.
In a meeting in Malacañang, Duterte said he would not bar United Kingdom-based Filipinos from returning home despite the threat of a mutated COVID-19 there and a government-imposed ban in place for travelers from the UK.
“Filipinos coming home, we just have to gamble that hopefully they are not carriers,” the President said in a briefing with Cabinet members on Saturday discussing the new COVID-19 variant.
“Whether or not they would come home, we do not escape that . . . I would not agree with the idea of disallowing Filipinos to come home. Mahirap ‘yan (That’s difficult). Unless we can prove that he is contaminated, tested from the date of the departure hanggang dito (up to here), the same protocol naman ‘yan e, swabbing and quarantine.”
The President added: “Yung British, foreigners, gusto ko silang . . . . ‘Wag muna silang pumasok (we want them. . . they should not enter for the meantime),” said the President. “Kung mahawa tayo ng puti (if we get infected by the Caucasians), that is a disaster.”
However, Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III doesn’t seem keen on the President’s idea even as he claimed to have received reports that there were Filipinos in the UK who have contracted the new COVID-19 variant.
“I think, Mr. President, it is also good that isama na rin sa (include in the) restrictions even yung mga (our) OFWs natin, kasi (because) it is reported by our labor attaché that some of our OFWs, especially in UK, have been contaminated by this new strain,” Bello said, adding that it would be better for the Europe-based OFWs to stay put until things return to normal.
He also cited that OFWs displaced by COVID-19 in the UK enjoy a 14-month insurance.
“Ang problema po yung manggaling ng (The problem is those coming from) UK o Europe, ito po yung magbabakasyon lang (they are those coming here for a vacation), Mr. President . . . Ang mga (The) insurance benefits ng (of) workers sa (in the) UK ay (is) 14 months kaya (so) they can afford to stay and wait for the possibility of going back to normal. Kaya karamihan ng mga uuwi ay (So for those who will come home) for vacation, kung iyon ang purpose nila ay huwag na muna natin silang pauwin (if that’s their purpose then let’s not allow them to come home),” Bello said.