Duterte hesitant to ease quarantine rules for OFWs

President Rodrigo Duterte remains uncomfortable with proposals to relax quarantine and testing protocols for arriving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III appealed for immediate testing and a reduced quarantine period, citing the "heavy burden" on OFWs and government finances, as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is running out of funds for isolation facilities.

Bello proposed reinstating the original rule allowing OFWs to go to their final destination without completing the 14-day quarantine if they test negative, citing low COVID-19 positivity rates among returning OFWs.

President Duterte referred a meeting where medical experts weighed in on Bello's proposal.

The government has yet to decide on the proposed relaxation of quarantine protocols for returning OFWs, as members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will discuss the proposal.

President Duterte emphasized that while he understands Bello's concern, he is "not ready" to compromise Filipinos' health.