Puerto Princesa LGU Awarded with Safety Seal Certification

It is expected that many tourists will flock to the country’s popular destinations once everything goes back to normal after this pandemic. Well, it’s even more exciting when you know you're visiting a place that prioritizes safety. Palawan Province is one of the places on the list.

Last August 9, the Puerto Princesa City government received the safety seal certification, proving the city’s compliance with the minimum public health standard. The awarding was headed by the City Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Director Eufracio “Bob” Forones. [1] Forones stressed that the Safety Seal Certification Program is according to the National IATF’s directive to implement the minimum public health standard among the public and private establishments.

The private establishments will be inspected and be given a certification by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Tourism (DOT), and LGU’s Business Permits & Licensing Office. For LGUs, the inspection and certification shall be conducted by the DILG, Philippine National Police (PNP), and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

Recently, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Palawan has approved three business establishments' applications for safety seal certification. These establishments are Robinsons Place Palawan supermarket, SM City Puerto Princesa supermarket, and convenience store inside the SM Store. [3]

Meanwhile, the Municipality of San Vicente, Palawan, where many tourism business establishments have been crucially affected by the pandemic, will again open its doors to the public.

According to San Vicente Mayor Amy Alvarez, to support the tourism business establishments and their staff to restore their livelihood, they are now allowed to receive guests for their accommodation as long as these establishments are safety seal-certified. She added that these establishments might reopen even without the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority’s permit (TIEZA). [2]

Following the reopening of tourism businesses in the municipality of San Vicente, it was agreed in a meeting with Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force (MIATF) to still require inbound tourists from outside Palawan with a negative RT-PCR test result. Only fully vaccinated local tourists or only from other municipalities in Palawan are no longer required to show a negative test result.

Visit Yoorekka Consumer Magazine for more travel and COVID-19 updates and guidelines in Palawan!