‘No bed, filthy toilet’: Dubai OFW recounts quarantine hell in Philippine province
DUBAI – A Filipino expatriate in Dubai who flew to the Philippines on vacation has spoken out to reveal her horrific “quarantine from hell” experience in her home province. Karen Ann Ramos, 35, told Expatmedia.net in an exclusive interview that she was forced to stay in a decrepit classroom converted into a quarantine facility in San Pablo, Isabela. “There was only a piece of plywood laid on top of stacked, wooden chairs that served as the bed. The toilet was filthy,” said the Filipina, who recently returned to Dubai. “My mother brought me a mattress and a pillow just for me to be comfortable while sleeping,” she told Expatmedia.net, recalling her ordeal during her trip in late March. Ramos said the apathy she received from local government officials in San Pablo, Isabela forced her to expose the issue as soon as she arrived in Dubai where she felt safe to air out her grievances without fear of retribution. She had taken photos and videos of her sleeping quarters: a run-down classroom with chairs laid down haphazardly, no bed in sight, garbage in the corridors and a very dirty washroom.
And the filthy toilet? “We cleaned it as we didn’t have any choice as we were the ones who will be using it,” she said, adding that other washrooms in the school were in a similar state.
She ended up staying in that facility for eleven days. “I sent a message to our vice mayor and explained the scenario. He said he will check on my concern, but nothing happened,” she said.
Beautiful start to Philippine trip
Ramos said her quarantine in San Pablo, Isabela was a stark contrast to her hassle-free arrival and “flawless” quarantine at the Philippine capital. “Everyone was helpful, from the coastguard to the airport staff,” she said. Ramos initially spent a government-paid quarantine at a hotel in Manila after landing in the Philippine capital during her trip in late March. As an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), her 9-day stay was paid for by the Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA), as mandated by the Philippine government. She was taken to Madison 101 Hotel and Towers where “meals were served three times a day, and we were provided a gallon of water, plus coffee, sugar and creamer daily”.
She was also given a free Covid-19 PCR test on the sixth day of her quarantine, with the result out three days later. She tested negative of Covid-19, which meant she could leave the hotel to complete the 14-day quarantine period at home.
The government provided a free bus to take her to a pick-up point in Paranaque City so she can travel to Isabela province. The OWWA provided Jollibee meals during the trip, she said. "Thank you so much to OWWA for taking care of us OFWs," she said.
Ugly quarantine nightmare begins
Ramos said her “dream arrival” quickly turned into a nightmare the moment she arrived at the pick-up point in Paranaque where she waited for hours for representatives from her hometown of San Pablo in Isabela province to pick her up. “The sun was already up. Every other OFW was already fetched by their local government representative. I was the only one left. I had no choice but to pay for a private van to take me home,” she said. She said that no one from her local government ever explained to her why no one was able to pick her up that day. However, she said that later that morning, a health worker from her town visited her at home and told her to speak with their doctor who said that she needed to undergo further quarantine period. “I asked why I needed to spend 14 more days in quarantine when I had already spent nine days in quarantine in Manila and my test result turned out negative,” she recalled. The barangay captain or village chief, along with several policemen, also visited her home to demand that she come with them to the local quarantine facility, Kareen said. “She shouted at me and blamed me for not waiting for the committee to pick me up,” she said. “She wouldn’t listen to my explanation or accept my PCR test result certificate,” she added. The certificate, issued by the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine on March 30, states that Kareen must “complete the remainder of the mandatory 14 days quarantine period and must observe STRICT HOME QUARANTINE ”.
Ramos said the incident with the officials left her mother very stressed, so she agreed to come along to the quarantine facility to avoid further incident.
She was told she will be spending 14 days at the Saint Paul Vocational and Industrial High School, which has been temporarily converted into a quarantine facility.
“When I arrived there, I was shocked. There was no place to sleep and the toilet was very dirty,” she said, adding that no health worker ever came to check the facility or the people under quarantine during her stay.
"There were five of us in the room, including one child," she said. She ended up spending only 11 days there after her test result came out negative.
“The irony was that those under quarantine were allowed to have visitors,” she claimed, adding that the practice did not make sense.
“You have people’s health in your hands. Please don’t compromise our health,” she said, referring to officials in her home town.
The Filipina has filed a complaint with the Philippine Department of Interior and Local Government on the issue. There was yet no response as of this publication. PIA/Expat Media
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