“I BELIEVE, it was poor judgment on the part of Mayor Richard Gomez of Ormoc City, Leyte to refuse entry to overseas Filipino workers returning to their hometown from abroad recently.”
Yan ang naging pahayag ng singer at dating Quezon City councilor na si Anthony Castelo sa isyu ng pagbabalik-probinsya ng mga umuwing OFW na unang kinontra at kinuwestiyon ni Richard.
Sang-ayon si Castelo sa sinabi ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte kay Goma at sa iba pang local officials na, “There’s really no reason why you should not accept them (OFWs) with open arms”.
Paliwanag ng veteran OPM singer, “Yes, we are in a COVID-19 emergency and we can all relate to the Mayor’s predicament. But it is also an emergency situation when you have hundreds of OFWs already in the next town on their way home after having been stranded abroad for months.”
Dagdag pa niya, “The good mayor could’ve had more flexibility during such an eventuality, because in the state we are in, nothing is really predictable, regardless if higher authorities had given you enough notice or not, one must address the pressing problem at hand.”
Hirit pa ng singer, “He could have placed the OFWs in a holding area for identification, and tested all-over again- considering they’ve already been cleared and deemed negative of the COVID-19 virus before being released in Manila.”
Aniya pa, hindi dapat maging option ang, “turn them away and be helplessly stranded again in a foreign place in their own country, still away from their loved-ones.”
Ngunit nilinaw naman ni Castelo na nirerespeto pa rin niya si Goma bilang public servant at kasamahan sa showbiz, “for his commitment to discipline, good-governance and for his outstanding community service in his city.”
“I believe we can all learn a thing or two from the wisdom and advice of well-experienced former local officials, like that of former Mayor and now President, Rodrigo Duterte,” dagdag pa ng OPM artist.