Tag: OFWs

Agarang Implementasyon ng Standard Quarantine Protocols, Apela ni Ping

Para sa maluwag na paggalaw ng mga umuuwing overseas Filipino workers (OFW) at pagpanumbalik ng masiglang ekonomiya ng bansa.

Ito ang dalawang mahahalagang puntos na idiniin ni Senador Panfilo Lacson sa pagsuporta at pag-apela sa National Task Force Against COVID-19 na pabilisin ang pagpapatupad ng standard quarantine protocols sa mga Pinoy na nabakunahan na rito sa Pilipinas at sa ibang bansa.

Ayon kay Lacson, hindi na makakapaghintay pa ang ekonomiya kaya’t ito ay dapat nang pabilisin sa pamamagitan ng mas pinagaang na sistema ng paggalaw ng mga ganap nang nabakunahan laban sa COVID-19.

“Please make it sooner, not later. Mind the economy for a change,” panawagan ni Lacson sa kanyang Twitter account.

Read in ENGLISH: Lacson: Fast-Track Standard Quarantine Protocols to Benefit OFWs, Economy
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Lacson: Fast-Track Standard Quarantine Protocols to Benefit OFWs, Economy

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson pushed for the fast-tracking of standard quarantine protocols for vaccinated Filipinos, to benefit not just returning overseas Filipino workers but also our economy.

As he threw his full support behind the National Task Force Against COVID-19’s move to draw up standard quarantine protocols for Filipinos vaccinated here and abroad, Lacson said economic recovery cannot afford to wait.

“Please make it sooner, not later. Mind the economy for a change,” he said in a post on his Twitter account.

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Ping: Health Protocols Gawing Praktikal para Ekonomiya ay Sumigla

Image courtesy: Philtimes.com.au

Kailangan nang pasadahan ang mga umiiral na health protocols, katulad ng hindi bababa sa pitong araw na hotel quarantine requirement sa mga dumarating sa bansa, dahil nagiging dahilan ang mga ito ng pag-iwas ng ilang dayuhang mamumuhunan na bumalik para ituloy ang pagnenegosyo.

Ayon kay Senador Panfilo Lacson, mapapabilis ang pagsigla ng ating ekonomiya kung matugunan ng mga awtoridad ang isyu na ito.

“This is one more reason for our authorities to make our health and quarantine protocols more responsive – and more importantly, more sensible. We should consider the plight of permanent residents in the Philippines who run small businesses here. They cannot make sense out of this requirement. Thus they may opt not to return here until the requirement is lifted,” ayon kay Lacson.

Related: Lacson: ‘Sensible’ Health Protocols to Help Accelerate Economic Recovery
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Lacson: ‘Sensible’ Health Protocols to Help Accelerate Economic Recovery

Image courtesy: Philtimes.com.au

We can accelerate our much-needed economic recovery if some of our health protocols – such as a hotel quarantine requirement lasting at least seven days – are revisited and made more responsive and sensible, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said.

Lacson said foreign nationals who run businesses in the Philippines are turned off by the prospect of being locked in a hotel, especially if they have already been fully vaccinated before returning to the Philippines.

“This is one more reason for our authorities to make our health and quarantine protocols more responsive – and more importantly, more sensible. We should consider the plight of permanent residents in the Philippines who run small businesses here. They cannot make sense out of this requirement. Thus they may opt not to return here until the requirement is lifted,” Lacson said.

Related: Ping: Health Protocols Gawing Praktikal para Ekonomiya ay Sumigla
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Apela ni Ping sa IATF: Kaunting Kaluwagan sa mga OFW, Balikbayan

Sen. Ping Lacson at the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on June 15, 2021

Umaapela si Senador Panfilo Lacson sa Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) ng kahit na kaunting pagluluwag lamang sa pagpapatupad ng health protocols sa mga dumarating na balikbayan at overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Ito ay sa harap ng katotohanang kailangang gumastos nang malaki ang mga balikbayan sa pagsasailalim sa mga proseso, kasama ang pananatili ng ilang araw na “quarantine” sa mga hotel.

“Find the middle ground. We cannot be too stiff, too stringent. May occasion dapat na flexible tayo,” banggit ni Lacson sa pagdinig ng Senate Committee of the Whole sa COVID-19 vaccination program ng pamahalaan.

Related: Lacson to IATF: Find ‘Middle Ground’ for Balikbayans, Returning Residents
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Lacson to IATF: Find ‘Middle Ground’ for Balikbayans, Returning Residents

Sen. Ping Lacson at the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on June 15, 2021

Small adjustments by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in implementing health protocols can be a big help to our balikbayans and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

This is because balikbayans have had to spend thousands of pesos and suffer much inconvenience including several days’ “quarantine” at a hotel, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson and Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said.

“Find the middle ground. We cannot be too stiff, too stringent. May occasion dapat na flexible tayo (There are times we should be flexible),” Lacson said at the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program Tuesday.

Related: Apela ni Ping sa IATF: Kaunting Kaluwagan sa mga OFW, Balikbayan
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Ping: Vaccine Passport sa Kaluwagan ng mga Umuuwing OFW, Dayuhang Negosyante

Hindi na dapat pang maabala ang paggalaw ng mga umuuwing overseas Filipino workers (OFW) at mga dayuhang mangangalakal na ganap nang bakunado sa mga bansang pinanggalingan kaya dapat na magkaroon ng vaccine passport.

Ito ang rekomendasyon ni Senador Panfilo Lacson matapos ang samu’t saring reklamo ng mga pumapasok sa bansa bunga ng napakahigpit pa ring protocol na ipinapatupad ng mga awtoridad kahit pa sa mga kumpleto na ang bakuna laban sa COVID-19 sa mga bansang pinagmulan.

Ayon kay Lacson, dahil sa mga polisiyang ito ay nagdadalawang-isip na umuwi ang maraming OFW kahit pa napakahalaga ang pakay nila, bunga na rin ng matagal na pagkakatengga bago makarating sa patutunguhan batay sa umiiral na protocols.

“For our returning OFWs, at most, we might require them to take a swab test then allow them to go home, then require them to stay at home for 10 days. No need to require them to stay at a hotel. Most of the time, OFWs return to the country because of an emergency. But if you are an OFW and you are required to be quarantined for 10 days, how many days of your leave will go to waste? I don’t think that makes sense,” banggit ni Lacson sa panayam ng ANC.

Related: Lacson Pushes Vaccine Passport Prioritizing OFWs, Foreign Investors
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Lacson Pushes Vaccine Passport Prioritizing OFWs, Foreign Investors

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson batted Monday for a vaccine passport system that will make traveling to the Philippines easier for vaccinated people, especially for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and foreign investors.

Lacson said many returning OFWs and foreign investors are reluctant to come to the Philippines because of tight protocols, especially those that may require them to spend more than a week in a quarantine facility not necessarily of their choice.

“For our returning OFWs, at most, we might require them to take a swab test then allow them to go home, then require them to stay at home for 10 days. No need to require them to stay at a hotel. Most of the time, OFWs return to the country because of an emergency. But if you are an OFW and you are required to be quarantined for 10 days, how many days of your leave will go to waste? I don’t think that makes sense,” he said in an interview on ANC.

“Also, our tourism sector and investment will suffer. If a potential investor who would like to come here learns of the requirements that include a swab test and stay at a quarantine facility not of his or her choice, would he or she still come?” he added.

Related: Ping: Vaccine Passport sa Kaluwagan ng mga Umuuwing OFW, Dayuhang Negosyante
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On the Philippines’ Travel Ban to Taiwan

Image courtesy: The Filipino Times

Just like the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Philippine government’s travel ban to Taiwan is a policy decision implemented by the executive department which may not necessarily be correct, health-wise and politically.

Politically, it seems that the China lobby has become a very powerful force under this administration. Only time will tell if this major shift in the country’s foreign policy will benefit our people in the medium and long term – even as in the immediate term, the travel ban may already have potentially dire consequences for our Filipino workers there.

We elected a President who does not appear to give much importance to counsels and consultations with sectors that could very well help him arrive at well-informed decisions. While I do not question his sincerity in trying to solve the problems besetting our country since the time the millennials of the world were not even born, I still hope he can leave his own legacy worth remembering.

Having said that, I continue to support his leadership but I will not stop calling him out on major decisions which I don’t think serve the best interest of our country and people.

*****

#PINGterview: ‘Early’ Judgment of Anti-Drug War; ‘Veto’ vs Pork in 2020 Budget | Jan. 8, 2020

In an interview with media in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
– VP Robredo’s claim that the war vs drugs is a ‘massive failure’
– Filipinos affected by tension in the Middle East
– pork in the 2020 budget
– PNP physical fitness policy

QUOTES and NOTES:
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#PingTweets: On the unsung heroes helping distressed kababayans abroad

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Sponsorship Speech for New PH Ambassadors and Foreign Service Officer

The CA Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Sen. Lacson, took up the appointments of:
* Grace Relucio Princesa: Ambassador to Holy See with concurrent jurisdiction over Malta
* Frank Revil Cimafranca: Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic with concurrent jurisdiction over Cyprus
* Marichu Barredo Mauro: Ambassador to Brazil with concurrent jurisdiction over Colombia, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela
* Hjayceelyn Mancenido Quintana: Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
* Linglingay Fonacier Lacanlale: Ambassador to Argentina, with concurrent jurisdiction over Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay
* Cesar Lee Hiong Wee: Ambassador to Indonesia
* Ombra Jainal: Ambassador to the Czech Republic
* Rowena F. Mutia: Foreign Service Officer, Class IV

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Mr. Chairman, distinguished colleagues, this Representation as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, presided over a public hearing this morning to deliberate on the nominations of nine Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Department of Foreign Affairs – four of whom are Career Officers of the Department while the other five are political nominees – and one Foreign Service Officer.

Your Committee, after deliberating on their qualifications and fitness during the said public hearing, determined that they are fit and qualified to be in the posts where they are nominated and therefore ruled to recommend to the plenary their nominations for the consent of this body.

To this end, it is my honor and privilege to recommend that the Commission give its consent to the nominations of the following DFA Senior Officers, namely:

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