By Ivy Tejano

DAVAO CITY – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) 11 has financial assistance amounting to P2.5 million to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who have remained stranded in the country, following the temporary travel ban imposed by the government due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) outbreak.

OWWA-Davao Regional Director Ron Lionel Bartolome said there were 259 stranded Filipino workers from the Davao Region and nearby provinces supposedly bound for China, Hongkong, Macau, and Taiwan, who have availed of financial assistance this month.

“The region has released the financial aid to our OFWs who remain stranded here due to the coronavirus occurrence [in other countries] pursuant to the directive of President Duterte, as articulated in the memorandum of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE),” Bartolome said.

DOLE earlier issued a set of guidelines on COVID-19 prevention and control at the workplace.

Bartolome said of the 259 stranded workers, 72 were bound for China, 169 for Hongkong, 17 for Macau, and one for Taiwan.

He added that each of these workers earlier received P10,000 financial aid to ease the burden while waiting for further developments about the temporary travel ban.

OWWA also earlier stated in a memorandum that, aside from financial assistance, it will also accommodate OFWs at its halfway house, and will pay for their travel back to their provinces of origin should the period of the ban take longer.

As per OWWA memorandum issued on February 20,, the travel ban for Hongkong and Macau has been lifted. Thus, financial assistance to affected workers in these countries shall no longer be available, while the financial assistance to affected OFWs bound for China shall continue.

OWWA- Davao Region, as of December 2019, has 511 recorded members currently working in China, 10,556 in Hongkong, 665 in Macau, and 5,021 in Taiwan. The government continuously encouraged everyone to exercise preventive measures against the coronavirus.