MANILA, Philippines — Amid criticism over the possible coronavirus transmission risk, the interior department defended Tuesday the decision of the government's coronavirus task force to do away with travel authority and medical certification which were initially required of travelers around the country.
To recall, the Department of the Interior and Local Government disclosed that the travel authority issued by the Philippine National Police and the medical certificates of local government health offices are no longer required for travel.
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In a statement, interior spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said that the resolution streamlining travel requirements was made in coordination with "health professionals" as well as the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, League of Provinces of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and the League of Cities of the Philippines.
He added that the airline industry asked the DILG to address the issue of streamlining travel restrictions. The department, in turn, said it saw the need "to remove redundancy in domestic tourist travel requirements" and impose less stringent requirements by managing the health risks through other means.
"We wish to clarify that the PCR test was never a requirement by the national government. It was some LGUs who required it. Now, under the new protocols, the PCR test may still be required by the LGU of destination. Therefore, travelers just need to check with their LGU if its required," he said.
"Please take note that LGUs can only require the RT-PCR test and cannot require the Antigen or rapid tests as a requirement for travel,” he added.
'Philippines not ready to relax travel restrictions'
Earlier on Wednesday, February 24, Gene Solante, a doctor under the health department's vaccine expert panel, said he didn't believe the country was ready to scrap health requirements for travelers.
"We know from our history that there were many COVID cases in the provinces because of people coming from other areas with COVID cases," he said earlier at a Laging Handa briefing.
Vice President Leni Robredo has also opposed the shift, pointing out that the pathogen "spread all over the country when the locally stranded individuals were allowed to return to their provinces."
For his part, though, the interior undersecretary saw things differently.
“The criticism over this decision is misplaced. When the vice president said that it was the locally stranded individuals who were responsible for the spread of COVID to the provinces, this was in the early days of the pandemic when our infection rates were high and compliance with minimum health standards were very low. A year later, compliance is now high, our active cases are low, and our people know what to do to protect themselves and their families,” said Malaya.
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DILG blames 'low compliance' with health standards
The pronouncement is consistent with the government putting the responsibility of curbing the spread of COVID-19 on Filipinos by showing "discipline", and the blame on rising cases on their being "pasaway" or stubborn.
At the time, though, countless groups and medical collectives were calling for "mass randomized testing and contact tracing will help determine the actual number of cases," among other health initiatives.
Researchers from the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas were also warning of a potential rise in COVID-19 cases if Metro Manila shifts to GCQ from the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine. The task force made the shift anyway.
"Even if the travel protocols are relaxed, we remind our travelers that the minimum public health standards are still being implemented. Please continue to observe discipline in following physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and wearing face masks and face shields. Let's be disciplined first for a safe trip,” Malaya also said in Filipino.
He added that safeguards are in place to contain the spread of COVID-19, including quarantine facilities that are required of ports and terminals.
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“We needed to streamline because we need to revive our economy and address the hunger, loss of jobs, and economic opportunities that came as a result of the travel restrictions,” he said, adding that 30% of the public still cannot go to work and 50 percent of the people cannot take public transport.
As of this writing, the country's COVID-19 caseload has reached 578,381.