Vergeire: IATF to discuss possible easing of Philippines’ border restrictions for foreigners

The Department of Health (DOH) is now studying the possibility of recommending further easing of border restrictions for foreign travelers who wish to travel in the Philippines, its officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Tuesday.

At a press conference, Vergeire was asked when would be the proper time to lift the entry requirements for foreign travelers before entering the Philippines, considering that some countries have already scrapped such restrictions on their own amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, the Health official said that the DOH still abides by the Executive Order (EO) 168 which created the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

This EO states that among the functions of the IATF is to prevent and/or minimize the entry of suspected or confirmed patients with emerging infectious diseases (EID) into the country through rigid screening and identification of EID suspects, and the institutionalization of a surveillance, alert, and quarantine system in all ports of entry.

“Based on the directives of the President na sabi niya mas makapagbukas pa tayo further ng mga sectors at mas maluwagan natin ang ating mga restrictions sa borders, pag-uusapan ito lahat sa IATF because we need to be able to rescind kung saka-sakali, o amyendahan itong EO 168 for us to relax these restrictions,” she said.

(We will discuss with the IATF the directives of the President that we need to further open up the sectors and relax our restrictions on our borders because we need to rescind or amend the EO 168 for us to relax these restrictions.)

“Lahat pinagaaralan ngayon. Even the border restrictions, pinagaaralan na po ng mga eksperto natin para sa susunod natin na IATF, we will be able to discuss these also with the other sectors,” she added.

(Everything is being studied now. Our experts are already studying even the border restrictions so that in our next IATF meeting, we will be able to discuss these also with the other sectors.)

In February, the IATF already relaxed the travel restrictions, allowing the entry of foreigners in the Philippines for business and tourism purposes under certain conditions.

Among the requirements for foreign nationals before entering the country is full vaccination against COVID-19, except for minors below 12 years old traveling with their fully vaccinated foreign parents.

IATF to reconvene

Vergeire said that the IATF is set to reconvene in the next few weeks and a Technical Working Group will discuss by then whether or not border restrictions in the country should be further eased.

“During the first IATF, we have agreed that we will have our Technical Working Group of the IATF to already discuss the border restrictions in the country, whether it be foreign, whether it be national. Titignan natin kung base sa safety protocols natin ay pwedeng nating ma-ease some of those restrictions,” she said.

(We will see if we can ease some of those restrictions based on our safety protocols.)

Vergeire, however, stressed that the DOH will still align with the directives of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on the matter and said they will ensure that it would be safe for the public once the border relaxations are approved. — RSJ, GMA News