SAN JOSE, Antique – A total of 176 Antiqueño overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded in Metro Manila due to travel restrictions brought by coronavirus disease 2019 have returned in this province through the national government’s OFW Return Program.
Prisceli Joyce Lizcel Galuego, in-charge of the provincial government’s OFW Desk, said on Thursday that the repatriated OFWs came home by batches through sweeper flights or 2GO vessel on May 25 to May 28.
“Early this morning, there were 17 OFWs who arrived through a sweeper flight,” she added.
The 17 overseas workers were picked up by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and their respective municipal local government units at the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
According to Galuego, the OFWs who arrived on May 28 were immediately taken to the Antique National School in this capital town where they had to undergo the free rapid diagnostic test and the Reverse Transcription- Polymerase Chain Reaction test conducted by the health personnel of the Integrated Provincial Health Office.
“The OFWs are also required to undergo the 14 days quarantine in their municipalities,” she added.
Here’s the breakdown of the number of repatriated Antiqueño OFWs by towns:
*San Jose – 27
* Sibalom – 19
* Hamtic – 18
* Anini-y – 16
* Culasi – 14
* Pandan – 13
* Tobias Fornier – 12
* Bugason – nine
* Tibiao – eight
* Patnongon – seven
* Belison – six
* Laua-an – six
* Libertad – five
* San Remigio – five
* Sebaste – four
* Barbaza – three
* Valderrama – three
* Caluya – one
Aside from those who arrived from Manila, five Antiqueño overseas workers stranded in Cebu City arrived in this capital town through a chartered flight on May 23.
They, however, paid for their own fare to return home. (With a report from PNA/PN)
