SAFE HAVEN. Passengers stranded at the Clark International Airport, mostly returning OFWs, are given free food and lodging at various locations inside the Clark Freeport Zone. Photos Courtesy of CDC –CommDev.
CLARK FREEPORT – Three state-run firms and a private conglomerate are now coordinating efforts in order to ensure the welfare and safety of returning overseas Filipino workers at the Clark International Airport here amid the Covid-19 threat.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Clark Development Corp., and the Clark International Airport Corp., and Luzon International Premiere Airport Development, which overseas operations and maintenance of the airport, have coordinated efforts to provide the OFWs with the necessary assistance, as the Luzon island undergoes enhanced community quarantine.
More than 200 passengers, most of them recently arrived OFWs, have been stranded for days at CRK due to the community quarantines imposed in their respective provincial destinations.
Starting March 19, the passengers were provided with free food and lodging. They will be housed in various locations in Clark, the BCDA said in a statement:“They will be taken good care of while in Clark, until the imposed lockdowns in their destinations are lifted.”
“We would also like to express our gratitude to the Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, Department of Interior and Local Government, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Social welfare and Development, Pampanga provincial government, Angeles and Mabalacat city governments, Pampanga Red Cross and the Mabalacat City Tourism Council for working with us in providing assistance to the passengers these past several days,” the statement added.
The CRK will remain operational should there be inbound and outbound international flights, LIPAD assured.
For international outbound flights, only OFWs, balikbayans, and foreign nationals will be allowed to leave, while inbound international passengers will be subjected to strict quarantine protocols, it added.
