President is keen to allow Filipinos to return home

[ASEAN NOW News]

MANILA – Despite cases of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, President Rodrigo Duterte has not changed his stance about allowing Filipinos to return home.

 

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Duterte continues to push for the unimpeded return of all Filipinos.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs, facilitates the repatriation of 150 distressed Filipinos from Bangladesh on July 15, 2021. The returnees received USD200 reintegration assistance on top of free plane fares, quarantine facility stay, and Covid-19 testing. (Photo courtesy of DFA)

 

“For President Duterte, they are our fellow Filipinos. If they want to return home, it is their right. We cannot stop our fellowmen from returning. That’s unfair to them,” Nograles said in a radio interview on Sunday July 25th, 2021.

 

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 55 new cases of the Delta variant also on Sunday, bringing to 119 the total cases in the country.

 

The cases were from the latest batch of samples sequenced by the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center.

 

Nograles assured the national government has set in place testing and quarantine protocols.

 

“We have protocols in place. These include a 10-day quarantine from those coming from non-green countries or non-green jurisdictions. And then they get swabbed on the seventh day,” he added.

 

Green countries and jurisdictions are those classified by the DOH as “low risk” based on disease incidence rate.

Fully vaccinated travelers from green countries and jurisdictions must carry their official documentation of full vaccination.

 

Nograles said current testing and quarantine protocols are “effective” in preventing further transmission of the new variant.

 

Earlier, Duterte said he is eyeing stricter health measures against the Delta variant.

 

"The reported local cases in the country is a cause for serious alarm and concern. Again, it's redundant but it's good as any warning that can be given to people. We may need to impose stricter restrictions to avoid mass gathering and prevent super spreader events," he said in his July 19 public address.

 

Of the new Delta variant infections, 37 are local cases and 17 are returning overseas Filipinos.

 

The Delta coronavirus variant was first detected in India and found to be 60 percent more infectious than the Alpha (United Kingdom) variant.

 

Delta caused the surge in Covid-19 cases in other countries, according to reports. (PNA)

 

[bangon04]

Seems a strange policy... if they allow too many overseas Filipinos to come home, the Remittances will fall and the economy will suffer. They may even have to gainfully employ their own citizens AND take care of them.......  double whammy.

 

 

[olfu]

I dont know about locals returning home but tired of waiting to visit.

[zhounan]

At the same time Duterte wants to manu militari lock up at home the part of population not vaccinated because according to him are walking spreaders, stating that for him they can also die.

 

https://videopress.com/v/upMnnAPg

 

 

[Jillie Norman]

It's crazy. It's removing free will. I mean, I'm not against the vaccine, planning on getting one myself but how about those who are?

[JensenZ]

On 7/26/2021 at 7:22 PM, bangon04 said:

Seems a strange policy... if they allow too many overseas Filipinos to come home, the Remittances will fall and the economy will suffer. They may even have to gainfully employ their own citizens AND take care of them.......  double whammy.

 

 

They are stranded Filipinos without work. Stranded Filipinos in Bangladesh were specifically mentioned. Hardly a country with great employment opportunities. Filipinos with good work abroad are not going to go home.

[JensenZ]

On 8/4/2021 at 1:15 PM, Jillie Norman said:

It's crazy. It's removing free will. I mean, I'm not against the vaccine, planning on getting one myself but how about those who are?

It was never in question. Sooner or later everyone will need to submit to the vaccinations unless they have valid medical reasons not to. Free will cannot be considered if you're a risk to the community, and most people will think that you are a risk if you are not vaccinated.

[scaldedfummy]

It's gonna be some kind of discrimination someday somehow. We really don't know anything except the things we're told. But then we know that the virus is real. 

[kotomaru]

It's crazy. I mean removing free will

[AreYouGerman]

On 12/4/2023 at 2:55 PM, kotomaru said:

It's crazy. I mean removing free will