No incidence of travelers slipping through 'backdoor' amid Delta variant threat, says PCG

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday said it has yet to receive a report on suspicious individuals slipping through the Philippine backdoor amid the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

"Sa kasalukuyan, wala pa po tayong report na natatanggap na merong nakalusot [sa backdoor] pero mabigat po ang bilin ni Sec. [Arthur] Tugade sa Coast Guard na talagang ipatupad itong pagbabantay sa ating borders," said PCG spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo at the Laging Handa public briefing.

(Currently, we have not received any report that suspicious individuals have passed through our backdoor, but Sec. [Arthur] Tugade directed the Coast Guard to enforce surveillance on our borders.)

Balilo said authorities have not faced challenges so far in General Santos City as they intensified their maritime border patrol

Authorities are also monitoring the repatriation of people from Tawi-Tawi to Zamboanga, ensuring that quarantine measures are followed.

"We urge the public to coordinate with law enforcement agencies and to be proactive in reporting information to the PCG, PNP or AFP, and Bureau of Immigration about suspicious sea vessels that will not pass through health authorities," Balilo said in Filipino.

A tugboat and a barge that recently came from Indonesia delayed their docking in Albay province after 12 crew members tested positive for COVID-19.—AOL, GMA News