The One-Stop-Shop (OSS) set up inside Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has so far served more than 70,000 returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), as the government further contains the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Transportation – Philippines Office of Transportation Security (DOTr-OTS) reported today.
Initiated by the Philippine government, the OSS is a joint effort of the DOTr and its attached agencies to assist land-based and sea-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), non-OFWs/tourists, and locally stranded individuals as they return to the country and their respective provinces.
Participating in the initiative are the attached agencies of the DOTr such as the OTS, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG); and other government agencies such as the Department of Tourism – Philippines (DOT), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of National Defense – Philippines (DND), Office of Civil Defense – Department of National Defense (OCD), Department of Labor and Employment – DOLE OWWA Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (DOLE – OWWA), Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines (DFA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
According to DOTr-OTS Administrator Undersecretary Raul Del Rosario, as of July 04, 2020, the OSS has assisted a total of 70,882 ROFs, which consists of 61,409 OFWs, and 9,473 non-OFWs or tourists.
Usec Del Rosario was tasked to oversee and manage the OSS which started operations on April 23, 2020.
Meanwhile, the OSS expects to serve around 3,000 additional ROFs daily, as the NAIA Terminal 3 starts to accommodate more arriving international flights on July 08, 2020.
As part of its duty to prevent the introduction and proliferation of infectious diseases and viruses, the OSS helps oversee the processing of ROFs who arrive at the airport from their testing for the coronavirus to their quarantine at government-accredited quarantine facilities. The OSS also assists in transporting ROFs to their respective homes as soon as they test negative after taking the Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test or a swab test.
The OSS started its work with only a handful of personnel who were tasked to daily monitor incoming special repatriation flights, answer inquiries from relatives of those repatriated, and resolve complaints. The OSS also followed-up on the requests of ROFs, and helped encode ROF data.
Processes involved in the processing of ROFs have also improved. Prior to their departure, and even at the point of their origin, OFWs are offered online means to give their basic information through the DOLE-OWWA online platform OFW Assistance Information System (OASIS), and e-CIF of the Philippine Red Cross.
These online platforms have enabled concerned government agencies to act fast, and be ready to meet their needs the moment ROFs arrive in the country. Likewise, the OSS also ensures that negative COVID-19 test results are conveniently released at PCG’s social media page. Quarantine certificates may also be verified at the BOQ’s website (https://quarantinecertificate.com).
As more and more government agencies get involved and participate in the drive to assist all RFOs, the coordination and cooperation between the national and local government has become smooth and seamless.
“Naiintindihan po natin ang bawat sitwasyon, at tayo po ay gumawa ng hakbang, sa tulong ng iba’t ibang sangay ng gobyerno, pati na rin sa lokal na pamahalaan, para mabigyang solusyon ‘yung mga nakita nating problema sa mga naunang araw ng operation ng ating One-Stop-Shop. Ngayon po, sa tuluy-tuloy nating pag-oobserba, at pagtutok sa mga resulta ng tests, unti-unti po, nagiging smooth and efficient tayo. Kung dati 14-days mandatory quarantine, ngayon po 3-5 days kung negatibo sila at mailabas ang quarantine certificate, kailangan makauwi na ang ating mga kababayan. Yan po ay alinsunod sa utos ni Presidente Duterte at Secretary Art Tugade ng DOTr.” OTS Administrator Usec. Del Rosario said
“Dumarami po yung ating narereceive na pasasalamat mula sa mga ROFs at sa mga kamag-anak nila na patuloy nag-fafollow up sa amin. Dahil sa One-Stop-Shop ng gobyerno, mas gumagaan ang bawat proseso,” Usec. Del Rosario added.
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Stay updated with news and information from the Department of Transportation – Philippines Office of Transportation Security by visiting their website at http://www.ots.gov.ph.
