An OFW who returned to the Philippines approached ABS-CBN News to complain about the deteriorating condition of a hotel in Quezon City that had been their quarantine facility for two weeks.
The seaman arrived in the Philippines on Saturday, and since coming abroad, he had to take a quarantine before returning home.
The OFW, along with other seafarers, was shocked with the filthy and deteriorating condition of the quarantine facility in Novaliches.
The bedsheet and pillowcases, the OFW says, do not appear to have been properly washed.
The OFW also sent photos of dirty rug outside the hotel room and the wet parking area where their luggage were unloaded.
The seafarer also showed pictures of stains on the water basin and the tiles of the shower area. Light brown water also flowed from the faucet and the toilet bowl’s water tank. He also said the water took hours to be cleared, making it possible to shower.
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According to the complainant, they were dismayed because they didn’t have an illness when they arrived in the Philippines, but they could probably get sick in the quarantine facility.
“Lahat po kami disappointed po sa mga nakita namin kasi sobrang pagod na po talaga kami… Ano po kami dun sa barko, COVID-free po kami. Parang dito pa kami magkakasakit…pati sa stress,” he said.
(We were all disappointed with what we saw because we were so tired. We are COVID-free on our ship. It looks like we are going to get sick here because of stress.)
The OFW is wondering how the hotel passed the DOH’s standards.
“Paano naging approved kung ganun kadumi? Paano inapprove ng DOH? Chineck ba nila?” he said.
(How come it was approved if it is that filthy? How did the DOH approve it? Did they check it?)
The OFW also said they were banned from posting on social media regarding the condition of the hotel.
“Sa akin sana ok lang kung maganda yung kalagayan namin dito. Pero kung hindi naman po maganda kalagayan bakit hindi namin kailangan i-expose?… Kahit daw po sa mga kamag-anak namin wag sabihin. Paano naman po yun di ba? Paano yung mga nag-aalala para sa amin? Syempre nagtatanong din sila kung ano ba yung kinalagyan namin,” he said.
The OFW has appealed to the government to improve their condition. According to the seafarer, there more than 100 OFWs quarantined in the hotel.