PH Government Plans to Further Ease Border Restrictions for Foreign Travelers

The Philippines’s Department of Health and the national government’s task force shall discuss the possibilities of eased border restrictions for foreign travelers bound to the Philippines.

It is after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered updated border protocols to boost the country’s economy further.

Department of Health Officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a press briefing that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases should further discuss the matter regarding the said directive of the President. On the other hand, the Department of Health shall develop new strategies, policies, protocols on testing, isolation procedures, and recommendations to be presented to the IATF at a scheduled meeting and implemented for incoming foreign travelers.

During the IATF and the Department of Health’s first meeting, the two authorizing bodies agreed to organize and establish a technical working group to study the implementation of eased border restrictions. The said group shall be in charge of how to lift some restrictions based on existing COVID-19 safety protocols.

Vergeire added that the group should be given another two weeks to work on the said tasks so the Department of Health can reconvene. [1]

The effectiveness of the updated border protocols is expected to take effect before the year ends, as long as the authorized government sectors can finalize the said lenient rules and implementation.

Another agenda regarding the country’s border restrictions for foreign travelers would be amending Executive Order No. 168, creating the IATF for The Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in The Philippines. [2]

Implementation of guidelines on testing, quarantine, and entry of Philippine-bound Filipino and foreign visitors are specified under the IATF Resolution No. 168, which has been taking effect since May 26, 2022.

The Department of Health also added that the national government should plan to improve the One Health Pass after hearing complaints from travelers. Complaints claim that the One Health Pass screening system inconveniences the passengers, requiring all foreign travelers and incoming Filipino travelers to comply with the One Health Pass.

The Department of Health officer also noted that mobility patterns increased last August, particularly in Metro Manila. Therefore, urging all unvaccinated individuals to avail of the primary vaccine series and the fully vaccinated ones to get their booster jabs as soon as possible to eliminate the higher risk of COVID-19 infections. She also emphasized that the World Health Organization is the only authorizing body to assess whether the pandemic in the Philippines has ended or not.

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