PMA reopens gates to the public

The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) reopened its gates to the public on Thursday after the government placed Baguio City under COVID-19 Alert Level 1.

In an advisory, the PMA said it is now allowing the entry of tourists and cadets' visitors to let them "appreciate its history and its role in producing future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)" as well as "boost the welfare and morale of the cadets" by seeing and being able to interact with their families and loved ones.

A maximum of 300 guests will be accommodated daily, Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Saturdays to Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.

PMA alumni will be permitted to enter and remain inside the academy until 3 p.m., as well as accompany their guests.

Fully vaccinated individuals are required to present their vaccinations cards while non-fully-vaccinated ones are required to submit negative swab test results within 72 hours prior to entry.

Children below 12 years old may be allowed entry without presenting any test result as long as they are accompanied by adults.

Tourists are unauthorized to enter residential areas, PMA administrative buildings, and other designated restricted areas. They are also prohibited from interacting with cadets including taking pictures.

Only parents, relatives, or foster parents of the cadets will be allowed to engage with them but under the coordination of the Headquarters Tactics Group.

Fully vaccinated visitors who will interact with the cadets must present a negative antigen test result taken within 24 hours prior to the entry.

To protect the safety of the PMA community, all visitors will be required to observe minimum public health standards including wearing masks and frequent disinfection.

Marshals and information signages will also be provided.

Visitors coming from outside of Baguio City are also required to register at the Baguio Visita website (https://visita.baguio.gov.ph) and proceed to the triage area. Cadets' visitors may schedule their visit by registering at https://bisita.pma.edu.ph. 

The PMA also reminded all guests that it observes "Carless Days" on Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., which means that visitors on those days will park their cars in the designated parking areas inside the PMA and will have to walk or ride a bike when roaming around the PMA vicinity. 

In February 2020, the military academy tightened restrictions on visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. — VBL, GMA News