Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Thursday said returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) going to any area outside Cebu province and arriving at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are now required to present a letter of acceptance (LOA) from their local government unit (LGU) of destination.

In a press briefing with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III at the capitol, Garcia underscored the need to intensify border control to prevent spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and its variants originating abroad.

“Because we have limited hotel rooms and we have arrivals who are not from Cebu and they need to be quarantined for 10 days in accordance with the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) guidelines, as of last night, we were facing a crisis because the 2,500 rooms that were made available for OFWs and ROFs were already nearing full capacity,” Garcia said in both English and Cebuano as she explained the rationale of the additional requisite.

Due to lack of accommodation for OFWs and ROFs who are waiting for the result of their reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, Garcia also said the MCIA management is declaring a two-day cessation of its operation on May 14 and 15, with flights into Cebu canceled.

She said she will issue a separate memorandum to formalize the additional requirement for arriving passengers who are not from Cebu.

Effectively immediately, upon check in at the place of departure of ROFs and OFWs who are going to their final destination outside Cebu, passengers will be asked to present the LOA from LGU of destination, with a commitment that they shall comply with reasonable health protocols of said locality.

“They have to subject themselves to health protocols of LGUs, which means on the seventh day they needed to be quarantined. They have to abide by the protocol of the LGU. That’s what the IATF required also that on the seventh day they have to be tested. If they need to complete the 14 days quarantine, that is up to the LGU,” the governor said.

OFWs and ROFs are allowed to go home to their residence in Cebu province upon release of the negative test result. However, they need to undergo free swab test on the seventh day.

Garcia said ROFs should also present proof of connecting flights from Cebu to their LGU of destination.

“OWFs and ROFs without aforementioned requirements shall not be allowed entry into Cebu. OFWs and ROFs not from Cebu shall be subjected to RT-PCR test upon their arrival, as if everyone who are arriving from international flights,” Garcia said.

Upon the release of the negative RT-PCR test result, the governor said the OFWs and ROFs will be required to stay in their hotels or in the designated holding area in the MCIA until their next flight.

The new policy, the governor said, underwent consultations with different government agencies and airport authorities. (PNA)