OWWA asks DBM for P7.5B more for OFW quarantine

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is requesting an additional P7.5 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to cover the quarantine and repatriation costs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) until December.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has made the request, which OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac stated will be utilized for the remainder of the year.

The current P5.2 billion supplemental budget, allocated in June, is sufficient only until September.

The additional funding is necessary due to the ongoing costs of mandatory quarantine accommodation, including food, transport, and hotel expenses.

This projection assumes an average of 2,000 OFW arrivals per day from September to December.

As of Friday, 7,500 OFWs are currently in quarantine facilities, and a total of 646,912 OFWs have been repatriated since May last year.