First batch of repatriated Filipinos from China arriving on Saturday

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday announced that the first batch of Filipinos repatriated from China amid the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Saturday.

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the first batch of Filipinos will be transported to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, which the Department of Health (DOH) had already prepared as a quarantine area.

The Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija which wuill also be used as a quarantine facility for returning Filipinos from Wuhan, China.

“The arrival of the initial batch of repatriated Filipinos will be on Saturday at the Clark Airport and transportation to Fort Magsaysay has already been prepared. The President instructed the Health Secretary to go to the site to properly address the people affected in detail,” Panelo said in a statement.

“President Duterte expressed his concerns about the welfare of the Filipinos flying from China or its Special Administrative Regions to the country. Secretary Duque reported that they are now preparing Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija as a quarantine area, which can accommodate 10,000 individuals,” he added.

Caballo Island, which is part of Cavite in Manila Bay, and the Fort Magsaysay Drug Rehabilitation Center in Nueva Ecija were being eyed by the government as quarantine areas for returning overseas workers from China, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Filipinos who will be repatriated will be subjected to a 14-day mandatory quarantine as per the guidelines of the DOH.

Around 40 Filipinos in Hubei province, mostly from the city of Wuhan,  the epicenter of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, have expressed willingness to return to the country, the DFA said.

Panelo said the President warned local officials to follow and comply with the government’s measures in addressing the nCoV issue or face charges.

“The Chief Executive then noted that officials on the ground, particularly barangay captains, should act in accordance with the tempo dictated by the National Government or face charges for non-feasance,” Panelo said.

Duterte also stressed the need for the public to caution against the virus, hence instructing the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to scale up its information drive on preventive measures.

“The President commented that the Filipino public must observe the protocols and rules designed to combat the virus. To this end, he instructed the Presidential Communications Operations Office to spend more time in informing the public of the health advisories and guidelines laid out by our health experts with an assurance that if the public will just observe the same, then they should be safe from being infected by the virus,” Panelo said.

GSG