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| Santos shows her delight at being told by Owwa's Tamayao that she can sign up for the next flight home |
At 8:20am today, Jul 9, Lovenrose Santos joined several stranded
Filipino domestic workers who lined up for a slot on future group flights to Manila being arranged by the Consulate with Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific.
The queuing continued when Polo opened its service counters
on the 16th floor, where the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
office is located, this time for numbers. A treat of biscuits and instant
coffee served by Polo staff enlivened the workers, some of whom said they had
not yet had breakfast.
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| Pindutin para sa detalye |
The registrants who gathered in the conference room said
they or their employers had bought them tickets on Cathay Pacific flights, but
their bookings had been cancelled. They had booked and rebooked, but to no
avail.
One female worker said she missed the flight that left
yesterday, Jul 8, and had to register for the next one as her visa would lapse
on Jul 18. The woman beside her quickly said hers would expire on Jul 17.
Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao said the flights are special sorties
on Cathay flights that Consul General Raly
Tejada arranges with the carrier once enough passengers have listed up.
“We cannot tell when the next flight will be. It depends on
whether we get enough number of workers who want to go home. When we have a
hundred, or 300, then the Consulate will arrange the flights,” Tamayao said.
She said the criteria for selecting those eligible to join
the flights are: the workers have lost their jobs and found no new employers;
they have valid air tickets, and they are willing to fly home.
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| Some of the stranded OFWs are treated to a snack while waiting to sign up for the next PCG-arranged flights |
Penniless and staying with her elder sister who works in
Pokfulam, the 43-year-old widow said she wants to go home but her booking on Cathay had been cancelled twice, the first for July 8 and
the second for Jul 27.
“My two children are worried. They’ve been asking me when I
can go home,” she said, her voice quivering.
The maid said she agreed to a “no work, no pay” arrangement.
This means, her employer has kept her employed so she could retain her visa,
which is valid until July 2022. In the meantime, she agreed to go home and wait
out the crisis until December, at least.
Tamayao advised Santos
The OWWA officer also advised her to apply for the labor department’s
DOLE Akap financial aid for displaced OFWs.
To Santos
