BOQ to hire additional personnel amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) will finally hire more personnel, which has been requested from the government since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020, its official said Tuesday.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, BOQ Senior Medical Officer Dr. Neptali Labasan said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III approved the hiring of more workers for BOQ on Monday.

“Kahapon lang, nagkaroon ng go-signal si Secretary na mag-hire po kami ng mga additional personnel kasi kailangan na kailangan din po namin,” he said.

(Just yesterday, Secretary Duque gave the go-signal for us to hire additional personnel because we really need them.)

The BOQ has been appealing to the government to allow it to hire more workers as early as 2020 as it is handling more tasks in connection with the pandemic.

Earlier, BOQ deputy director Dr. Roberto Salvador Jr. said that instead of having more personnel, their workforce was actually reduced. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News