Travelers can now enter the Philippines just by presenting an antigen test performed by healthcare professionals, Malacañang said.
This as members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) agreed Wednesday night to allow the use of rapid antigen tests taken by healthcare professionals as an entry requirement for travelers.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the antigen test must be “administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishments from the country of origin of the traveler.”
Under the existing IATF-EID Resolution 165, foreign travelers can enter the country, on condition they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and have acceptable proof of vaccination.
Foreigners are also required to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken within 48 hours or a negative laboratory-based antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to their arrival to the country.
Andanar said the IATF-EID, in its meeting Wednesday, also approved the acceptance and recognition of the national COVID-19 vaccination certificates of Bangladesh, Mexico, Panama, and Slovak Republic, for purposes of arrival quarantine protocols, as well as for interzonal or intrazonal movement.
“This is in addition to other countries/territories/jurisdictions whose proof of vaccination the IATF has already approved for recognition in the Philippines, and without prejudice to such other proofs of vaccination approved by the IATF for all inbound travelers,” he said.
Andanar said the Bureau of Quarantine, the Department of Transportation’s One-Stop-Shop, and the Bureau of Immigration have been directed to recognize only the proof of vaccination thus approved by the IATF.
According to Resolution 165 issued by the IATF-EID, the other acceptable proofs of COVID-19 vaccination include the World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, VaxCertPH, national or state digital certificate of foreign country accepting VaxCertPH, and other proof of vaccination permitted by the IATF-EID.
The government has allowed foreign travelers to visit the country without an entry exemption document, so long as they comply with the applicable visa requirements and immigration entry and departure formalities.
Foreign travelers must have passports valid for a period of at least six months at the time of their arrival as well as valid tickets for their return journey to the port of origin or next port of destination not later than 30 days from date of arrival.
Prior to their arrival in the Philippines, they must obtain travel insurance for the COVID-19 treatment costs from reputable insurance providers, with a minimum coverage of $35,000 for the duration of their stay in the country.
Foreigners who fail to fully comply with the conditions and requisites set by the IATF-EID shall be denied admission into the country and shall be subject to the appropriate exclusion proceedings.
Meanwhile, Malacanang said the government’s calibrated strategy to shift the COVID 19 alert level system proved to be effective in improving the country’s economy as indicated by the recent poll survey.
Andanar made the remarks after the Social Weather Stations latest survey showed that 51 percent of adult Filipinos were optimistic that the Philippine economy would improve in the next 12 months.
“The Palace considers this rating, classified as ‘excellent’ by SWS and the highest net economic optimism since September 2016, as clear indication of how effective our calibrated strategy of shifting to Alert Level System to further reopen the economy – where more businesses are operating and more Filipinos are able to go to work – while ramping our COVID-19 vaccination drive,” Andanar said.
“The Palace viewed the latest net economic optimism as a clear indication of how effective our calibrated strategy of shifting to Alert Level System to further reopen the economy,” he said.
In related developments, the Occupational Safety and Health Center reminded employees and employers Thursday to remain vigilant against possible COVID-19 infections, as more offices now require workers to physically report back to work due to the de-escalation to Alert Level 1.
“We advise employers to remain vigilant. It’s not because we are already at Level 1 or lower that we could ignore the safety and health protocols,” OSHC executive director Noel Binag said.