My journey in coming back to the Philippines started even before the lock downs begun. I went to Cambodia early February this year to renew our visa. My return flight was March 20 and I was supposed to stay in the Philippines for an indefinite time to take care of some family matters. Our visa is free and I needed to renew it. Hence, even if I would stay in the Philippines indefinitely, I still renewed my Cambodian visa.
Our visa was released on March 17, after the lockdowns. Hence I was forced to stay with my husband in Cambodia. The Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh arranged for a repatriation trip in March. I applied and was approved. However, I begged off for fear of catching the virus. Next came another repatriation trip, I applied and was approved once more. Then I begged off for the same reason.
I was getting bored in Cambodia but that would be a good entry in a different article.
My trip finally pushed through in July 23 together with 88 others. We took the Cambodian Angkor Air from Phnom Penh to Manila. We were given 20 kg luggage allowance. I wanted to buy more luggage but the cost was way beyond my reason. So I stick with 20 kg and 7 kg carry on. I brought with me basic toiletries knowing that we will be quarantined for more than 14 days. I even brought detergent. The toiletries took up a lot of my luggage. I have sufficient clothes as long as I wash them regularly.
July 23, 2020
We arrived Manila at 3:30am through NAIA Terminal 2. We were immediately directed to the briefing area where the Philippine Coast Guard led the orientation on the next steps. We were made sure to have registered at the Red Cross page for returning OFWs to get our QR code. Afterwhich, we got our QR code stamps from a booth. Then we got our Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test. Both nostrils and the throat were swabbed. It did not hurt but it was uncomfortable. My eyes were the ones that complained. My tears were bitter (I dunno the better term).
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| Orientation by the Philippine Coast Guard. |
After the swabbing we got our luggage then we queued at an OWWA kiosk to check where our hotel accommodation would be.
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| OWWA kiosk for hotel assignment. |
We were brought to a bus that would take us to I’m Hotel in Makati where we will stay while waiting for our swab test result. According to the PCG, it would take at most 72 hours. We had to wait for an hour at the bus. I guess they were waiting for more passengers from other countries – repatriated Filipinos as well. It was a good time to catch sleep. We finally left for the hotel at a little past 7am. The hotel is at the corner of Makati and Kalayaan Avenue in Makati. A 5-star hotel according to google search. They have an Onsen Spa. They have been closed since the start of the lock down but was later identified as a quarantine facility for OFWs. According to the guard, they were just informed of our arrival the night before. This meant we had to wait for another hour outside of the hotel – all tired, hungry and messy. In other words – HANGRY. The hotel staff would not let us in because the rooms were not yet ready. One of us requested that we be allowed to stay in their function room where we could rest and use the toilets. This worked.
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| The hotel was not ready for us. | Where is social distancing here? |
I finally got to my own room on the 20th floor
overlooking the South side of Makati. I could see Pasig River and the Makati
City Hall (I presumed). It was a corner room so I got good view on two sides. I
liked my room. The bed was comfy as well. I had a smart TV.
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| My room at I'm Hotel,Makati City. |
July 27, 2020
I got my negative results on July 27th, Monday through email. I praise God for the negative result. I thought we would be fetched for the airport on that same day. But, according to the front desk, because of the bulk of repats, the shuttle bus will not be available to pick us up until the following day. So I had to change back to my house clothes. In fact, I decided to wash some more clothes.
July 28, 2020
We were fetched from our hotel after lunch and arrived at the airport around 2:30 in the afternoon. After filling up a form, we had to write our name according to what our final airport destination – mine would be Dumaguete. I left my passport with the Coast Guard on duty at the counter. Then we wait. I later realized it was for the printing of our RP-PCR Test. Then slowly each destination was called and people queued to go to the other side of the airport and wait for check in.
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| Waiting for our printed copy of the RP_PCR Test. |
In the check in area, we had to wait again. A certain Department of National Defense Undersecretary who was also a member of the IATF did a briefing about the process. What I liked with what he said was that whatever we find in our respective LGUs, we just have to make do with it and be considerate. The government is doing its best to take care of the OFWs. There are just too many to handle but even with more that 1k people sent to the provinces per night, things are still way behind the target of getting Filipinos in distress back to the Philippines. I liked what he said. We are all in this together. There is no point of complaining. I would rather focus on being grateful, patient and joyful.
Finally, we got boarded the plane at 11pm together with the
group for Iloilo and Bohol who got to be dropped first, respectively.There were 15 of us for Negros Oriental through the Dumaguete (Sibulan Airport). Four women and 11 men.
July 29, 2020
We arrived Dumaguete at 2:50am. Our carry ons were sanitized before we were allowed into the arrival area. There, we had to register our names and address once again. Then we claimed our luggage and proceeded to the bus provided by the Negros Oriental Provincial Government. The bus brought us to Hotel Essencia where we will be housed for 3 days. It was paid for by the Provincial Government. However, we had to share the room with another OFW. I got in first because of my grey hair. This really gets me special privileges and I don’t complain. Again, there was sanitizing before entering the hotel lobby. The front desk personnel were in full PPE and there was a plastic barrier between me and them. It think that was good. We can never be too careful with this virus. The hotel receives OFWs almost everyday and they need to take every precautionary measure possible.
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| Registration at the Sibulan Airport. |
Our room was in the 3rd floor. Per persistent reminder from my daughter, I had to take a shower before I could hit the bed. I was already half asleep when my roommate came. I did not get to welcome her. We were too tired. I was even too tired to call front desk for the leak in the aircon which was directly above my head. I woke up at 8am and call front desk about the leak. We got transferred to the 7th floor which was a huge blessing because I could see the sea from the window.
We were advised to go to the 5th floor for our Rapid Test (blood) and take a monitoring form for our temperature. We were told to have our own thermometer.
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| Rapid test for newly arrived OFWs at Hotel Essencia, Dumaguete City. |
Beth, my roommate was a 42-year old lady from Dubai. She worked in a salon and was there for just a year when the pandemic broke out. She was one of the almost 50 staff that were laid off. She had to come home. She shared that even the Philippine peso that she brought on her way to Dubai was spent while she was in quarantine in Manila because of some miscommunication in bringing them to NAIA 2 for their flight to Dumaguete. During the course of our conversation, I learned that her work was in massage and in nails. What a coincidence that I needed a massage. It would break protocols of social distancing but well, they put us in one room with one toilet. Massage or not, we would already infect each other if one of us has the virus. So, I got a very good massage that night. I slept for a good 9 hours that night. I gave her P1k for that which was pretty generous. She also forgot to bring her phone’s charger so she used mine to contact her family. She installed an app called Imo which they use in Dubai. It seemed popular in the Middle East because I can see Arabic characters in the home page.
Kim had to bring me some stuff like mug, knife, spoon and fork, laundry soap and thermometer.
July 30, 2020
First day of our quarantine. Nothing much happened. I had to request Pastor Venus to take over my Online Study Group because I scheduled a meeting with Randall, my boss, at the same time slot. Although Randall called a little later but it was good to be ready. Beth and I ordered halo-halo from the hotel’s cafeteria. Oh how I missed halo-halo.
Food was good at Hotel Essencia. There was enough viand and way too much rice. In I’m Hotel, our rice was just like a half cup. It was a good way to diet. Not in Hotel Essencia. I had to call my son, Kean to claim my dinner because I was fasting. I think I was eating too much carbs.
July 31, 2020
I attended my Come Before Winter and Old Testament online classes today. It was good to still be connected with the world albeit virtual. Our daily family altar also continues.
Aug 1, 2020
Today was our 3rd day at Hotel Essencia. The 3rd day of our 14-days quarantine. We were given 2 options:
- Take the remaining 4 days at the Dumaguete City
High School for free and with free food. They have converted the Gym into
cubicles for the OFWs and LSIs. Toilet was common. Bad idea, I think.
- Go to an accredited hotel to complete the remaining 4 days. This will be at my own expense.
Why “remaining 4 days”? This is because after the 4 days (7th day actually), depending on our temperature which they monitor daily, we can now continue at home and finish the remaining 7 days to complete the required 14 days.
Kim, beforehand, assured me that he will pay for my hotel so it was settled. I just informed the Dept of City Health gal to book me in a hotel that is cheap and has free wifi. I need wifi. It was my connection to the outside world. So I was brought to Grand Pension Plaza. I was again entertained first so I got to choose the room with a window at the topmost floor. Funny how I got degraded from a 5-star hotel in Makati, to a premium hotel and to a room with a small window and eventually to our home in Bantinguel where I would not have aircon in my room. Nonetheless, I need wifi.
I stayed at Grand Pension until Wednesday, Aug 5. Then I was brought to our rental house in Amihan, Bantinguel, Dumaguete City where Kim and Donna stays.
Kim brings me food. I have everything I need or at least I can just call out to Kim to bring me something.
As of this writing I am still on my 10th day of quarantine. I will finish strong on Thursday, August 14. My accommodation will actually be my permanent place of stay. I have the entire second
floor. I have my own room, my own living room and a toilet. A huge window to my
right gives me a glimpse of a wide grass field, Mt Talinis and the simplicity of life.
In all these things, I am forever grateful to God for using people and institutions to bring me home safely.
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