PMO-NCR assists repatriated seafarers return to their provinces

CALOOCAN CITY, April 29 (PIA) — The Port Management Office of NCR-North assisted the first batch of repatriated seafarers who were stranded in Metro Manila to return to their provinces in Visayas and Mindanao under the   ‘Balik-Probinsya’ program.

Selected and processed by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), with the guidance of the Department of Transportation – Philippines, in cooperation with the PPA and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the seafarers left Manila at dawn on Monday onboard MV St. Michael the Archangel of the 2GO Group.

Another batch of seafarers left Monday afternoon, onboard MV St. Leo the Great, also of 2GO, bound for Iloilo-Bacolod-Cagayan de Oro.

Prior to boarding, seafarers included in the first batch were subjected to a rapid antibody testing administered by the PCG and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) even if the seafarers completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine, in compliance with stringent safety protocols and in consideration of the well-being of the general public.

A one-stop-shop located at a facility under the PPA PMO NCR-North fast tracks the processing of seafarers. The agencies involved in the program, including the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration as well as respective Local Government Units, the manning agencies of the seafarers, the Department of Tourism and the BOQ help in the processing of those who will return to their provinces to ensure that they are not carrier of the deadly virus and that they can safely return to their respective destinations. (PIA-NCR)

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1040403