‘Libreng Sakay’ for OFWs Travelling Home — Here’s What You Should Know

We bring more good news for our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)! The Department of Transportation (DOTr), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) just launched their libreng sakay program for OFWs.

This initiative provides free transportation for OFWs to travel home to their respective provinces. The route goes from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) or Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Flight expenses of the OFWs shall be shouldered by the OWWA. For Filipino seafarers, manning or shipping agencies shall cover their plane rides.

Also read: Emirates Returns With Manila-Dubai Flight This Weekend

Available libreng sakay routes

The PITX caters to OFWs travelling to their home provinces in Luzon. Some destinations include Bicol, Isabela, Baguio, Quezon, Cavite, Bataan, Batangas, Laguna, Tuguegarao, Cagayan, and Nueva Ecija.

Meanwhile, available flights from NAIA include Davao, Zamboanga, General Santos City, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban, and Cebu.

How to qualify

The libreng sakay program only admits OFWs who have quarantine clearance. To obtain a quarantine clearance, OFWs must be declared negative for COVID-19. As of 27 May 2020, 36,832 OFWs were duly certified negative.

The Sub-Task Group for the Repatriation of OFWs has an RT-PCR test for OFWs. Every now and then, the PCG releases a master list of OFWs who obtained a negative result in the test. 

You may access the latest master list, dated 27 May 2020, here.

Once you see your name on the master list, proceed to your respective BOQ-accredited quarantine facility. There, you will find PCG or OWWA personnel who will process your repatriation. Finally, proceed to the PITX or NAIA, where you can obtain your quarantine clearance.

Also read: Here’s What “New Normal” Travel Will Look Like in NAIA

For more updates about available flights, visit our Travel Deals section and join Flight Deals – Philippines on Facebook.

Featured image credit: PITX | Facebook.