Province sees restriction a ‘welcome opportunity’

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF) from Iloilo who cannot be accommodated in Iloilo City presents an opportunity for local businesses in the province.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. on Tuesday said ROFs can be billeted in hotels and resorts in the province, which is a welcome development for the local tourism and the local economy in the province.

Defensor met with the Iloilo Chapter of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) after Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Monday announced that the city will no longer receive ROFs who are residents of the province in accommodation establishments (AE) there.

The governor and the mayors resolved that the ROFs will now be taken to accommodation establishments in their respective hometowns.

LMP Iloilo Chapter President and San Enrique town mayor Trixie Fernandez said in a radio interview that the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) will continue to shoulder the accommodation expenses of the ROFs.

In a phone interview, Defensor told Daily Guardian that he understood Treñas’ decision, given that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in the province has continued to worsen.

“I understand. Mayor Jerry Treñas is correct. The hotels in the city were overwhelmed because previously, the arrival levels were high. There were about three flights a day, so you would expect a ballooning. Our testing facilities were delayed after days of closure because of health workers who had tested positive. It’s also a burden on the accommodations of the city,” the governor said.

The governor added that the reception of ROFs in the province was more of a welcome development as it could help them financially.

In the earlier months of the pandemic, when there were many ROFs coming into the city and the province, Defensor already asked an establishment in San Miguel town to accommodate them.

“We’ve already asked this of our tourism industry stakeholders for a long time, that it would be better for them to accommodate our ROFs, because for me, that is really financial assistance from the national government to the tourism industry. That is good for the local economy as a substitute because we don’t have tourists coming in,” he said.

Defensor said that the new developments are beneficial for all.

“That is my view. It can help the city, the local economies of the municipalities and the province, and help our ROFs. From the beginning, I’ve wanted the ROFs to be closer to their families and their residence,” he said.

The governor clarified that even though he had already asked to accommodate ROFs in provincial establishments, the OWWA was the one directing these repatriations and that the city seemed more viable in the earlier months.

“It was because the agency that facilitates the transport of the ROFs was OWWA. Although there was also the [Western Visayas Regional Task Force] and the [provincial government], the OWWA is the one that responds to [ROF repatriations] because Overseas Filipino Workers are their primary concern. The city seemed a better place for them so they can do it altogether, fetch them from one place and bring them to one place, and cater to them there. It would be more convenient for them to take care [of the ROFs] here in the city. But if they would put [the ROFs] in [provincial facilities], that is welcome with the province. We’ll help with the transportation of the OWWA if they would need it,” he said.