Philippines tightens borders amid COVID-19 surge in Indonesia

The Philippines has enforced stricter border control measures as COVID-19 cases surge in its neighbor country Indonesia, according to a report by JP Soriano on "24 Oras."

“Na-notify na lahat ng ating mga law enforcement kasama diyan ang Coast Guard at Philippine Navy na magbantay,” Foreign Affairs  Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said.

(We have notified our law enforcement, including the Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy.)

“Napaka-porous ng border natin sa South. So ‘yun naman ang magagawa lang natin doon ay mas matinding pagbabantay,” he added.

(We have a very porous border in the south, so what we can do is to tighten our patrolling.)

The government earlier banned travellers coming from Indonesia or those with recent travel history to the country to prevent the spread of the Delta COVID-19 variant.  It will be imposed from July 16 to 31.

In General Santos City, the Maritime Police Region 12 is monitoring the Sarangani Bay, which is one of the routes that can be taken to reach the Philippines from Indonesia.

“Last month pa po sinabihan na natin na dagdagan ang presensya ng kanilang sea patrol at pag may nakita po sila na mukhang passenger vessel, sinisita po ‘yan,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Cunanan said.

The Department of Health has also alerted the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to enforce strict health protocols for cargo ships from Indonesia.

“Hindi naman natin pwede pigilan ang trade kasi mga cargo ‘yan. Kung magbaba sila ng kanilang mga kargamento, implement natin ‘yung mga protocols ng quarantine,” BOQ director Ferdinand Salcedo said.

(We can't stop trade because these are cargoes. They have to go through strict quarantine measures.)

The BOQ is also seeking to enforce more aggressive protocols for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who will be repatriated from Indonesia.

Aside from negative RT-PCR tests before leaving Indonesia, OFWs must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine period upon arrival despite being fully vaccinated.

All OFWs will also be housed under one isolation facility. They will then undergo another swab test after five days in quarantine.

“Doble po ang bantay sa kanila atsaka mas mahaba ho ‘yung quarantine,” Salcedo said.—Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News