The Department of Labor and Employment has extended P35 million as financial assistance to thousands of overseas Filipino workers who were affected by a travel ban imposed by the government to those going to China, Hong Kong and Macau.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that so far those returning OFWs in Hong Kong have not yet lost their job.

"Actually, there is no basis yet to say that the employment of these returning OFWs have been affected because we got verified information from our labor attaché in Hong Kong that the employers of our overseas workers there granted extension of vacation of our OFWs. So as to a possible unemployment, there's none yet," he said.

As of Friday, he said DOLE has given P35 million to the OFWs who were barred from returning to their work abroad.

"We immediately gave financial assistance of ten thousand (pesos) per overseas worker and as of Friday, we already extended thirty-five million pesos to three thousand five hundred OFWS, but that is also growing every day," Bello said.

On February 2, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a ban to all Filipinos from traveling to China and its special administrative regions, such as Hong Kong and Macau, due to the spread of deadly novel coronavirus. Foreigners coming from these places were also barred from entering the Philippines.

Local carriers also temporarily halted their flights in those areas.

Bello said the travel ban will continue until the situation improves.

Quoting Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Bello said that there would be observation period of two weeks.

"He (Duque) said that if that situation worsens, then it (travel ban) stays; but if it improves - meaning the problem on coronavirus would not worsen - they might recommend the lifting of the travel ban," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS