KALIBO, AKLAN, April 30 (PIA) - A total of 37 Aklanon seafarers, who were stranded in Manila due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, had finally arrived in Aklan on Thursday, April 29, through the "Balik-Probinsya" program of the national government.

In a media interview, Provincial Health Officer I Dr. Cornelio Cuachon, Jr. said that the repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) boarded the ship operated by 2GO, the Malasakit Voyage, from Manila to Iloilo Port in Iloilo City.

From Iloilo Port, they were brought straight to Aklan by two chartered buses and were assisted and escorted by the personnel of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office- Aklan and Philippine National Police - Aklan.

Upon arrival of the returning OFWs in a hotel here where they are being quarantined for 14 days, Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) swab tests were conducted to them.

The swab samples were sent to Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) on April 30.

Cuachon noted that the said seafarers had already been quarantined in Manila for 14 days and, in fact, tested negative from the disease.

However, as the strict protocol of the province, confirmatory tests were conducted to ensure the state of health of the OFWs and also for the safety of everyone.

He added that such protocol has been approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

Meanwhile, Cuachon clarified that if the retest yielded negative results, the seafarers will be allowed to return in their respective homes in the province even though the 14-day quarantine is not completed.

Cuachon also said that about 96 returning Aklanons OFWs are expected to arrive this weekend in the province, which is also part of the Balik Probinsya Program of the government.

"The Balik-Probinsya" is in line with the whole-of-government approach, ensuring the safety and well-being of both land-based and sea-based OFWs organized by the Malasakit Help Desk for Filipino Seafarers composed of the Department of Transportation, Maritime Industry Authority, the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Bureau of Quarantine, local government units, and the seafarers' local manning agencies. (LTP/SQP/PIA Aklan)