APD | Filipino workers prepare petition to President Duterte to lift the travel ban to safe areas in China

By APD writerMelo M. Acuña

MANILA, March 5 (APD) – A petition is being sent via social media for Filipino workers to sign a petition calling on President Rodrigo Duterte and his Cabinet to lift the travel ban for Filipino workers to safe areas in China citing the need to report back to their jobs and provide for their families.

In their petition, the workers said their offices and workplaces in China began to return to normal operations and failure to report for work would mean losing their jobs.

“We are currently on no work, no pay arrangement and this creates a heavy financial burden to us,” they said.

The workers added the assistance of P10,000 or US$197.92 given by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will only last for a few days for their expenses. Should they continue to remain in the Philippines, the harder would it be for them to sustain their expenses.

Reggie Medestomas said they have 500 signatures as of today, to show the ongoing travel ban continue to affect their families.

They called on the government to review the travel ban and consider their conditions. The group claimed there are about 150,000 Filipinos in China, with the majority residing in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, places where figures of COVID-19 infections have significantly decreased.

(Cover image: File photo of Filipinos leaving the country for overseas work at the Manila International Airport. /Melo M. Acuna)

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)