MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday warned local officials they would face charges in court if they would continue to bar overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from returning to their homes.
Thousands of repatriates, who were forced out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been stranded in Manila for weeks after undergoing a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed local government units to accept the 24,000 COVID-19-free OFWs returning to their hometowns.
“If LGU officials continue to defy this directive, they may be held administratively and criminally liable for violations of the Bayanihan Act,” Guevarra said, referring to Republic Act 11469 granting emergency powers to the President during the public health emergency.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, for his part, appealed to all local chief executives to put the repatriates on home quarantine if they’d be asked to repeat health protocols they had already undergone.
—With a report by Jeannette I. Andrade