DILG exec: 80 to 90% of LGUs complying with provisions of uniform travel protocols

Around 80 to 90% of local government units have been compliant with at least three of the provisions of the latest uniform travel protocols, an official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Wednesday.

"We are continuously in dialogue with [the] League of Governors and League of City Mayors and Municipal Mayors to ensure full compliance of IATF Resolution 101... As of date, I would say close to 80 to 90% of our local governments from the cities and municipalities and provinces have complied with the three provisions," DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said during the House Committee of Transportation hearing.

Densing said that under the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID's) Resolution No. 101, travels no longer require travel authority from the police and that a medical certificate from the locality of origin is no longer required as well.

Travelers will no longer be subjected to quarantine unless they exhibit symptoms at the destination upon arrival, Densing further said.

The said resolution also stated that travelers no longer need to undergo COVID-19 testing unless required by the LGU prior to travel.

"There are still local governments who are... in their executive orders would like their travelers, before entering their area of jurisdiction, to have an RT-PCR and that is allowed by the Resolution 101," Densing said.

Densing said some LGUs, including Sarangani, Ilocos Norte, Baguio, have requested that they use antigen instead of the RT-PCR tests. He said "all of us agreed that this will now form part of their respective executive orders."

The DILG has defended the easing of travel protocols, noting that these matters were consulted with health experts. — RSJ, GMA News