J. Jala | Posted on May 14, 2020
The fourth batch of repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who arrived in Bohol were already sent home after they have tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap announced this development in a virtual press briefing on Saturday, May 23, 2020.
Yap also posted a photo of the group on his Facebook account.
Yap was accompanied by Dauis town Mayor Miriam Sumaylo and the frontliners who took care of them.
Under health protocols against COVID-19, repatriated OFWs are only allowed to go home by their respective local government unit after completing the 14-day quarantine and after testing negative twice on their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
Yap shared that they have already sent home an estimate of about 300 Boholano OFWs to their respective hometowns in the province.
He recalled the first batch as those OFWs who were stranded in Leyte.
Yap thanked the enormous contribution of the OFWs to the Philippine economy.
He revealed that of the more than P100 billion already spent by the Philippine government for their repatriation, P85 billion came from the OFW’s earnings.
This is why in order to continue facilitating for the coming home of repatriated OFWs and soon more Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs), Yap said they needed to set up laboratories that would capacitate Bohol for COVID-19 testing.
Yap revealed in his briefing that he plans to set-up at least a minimum of four accredited laboratories in the province.
