Police told to coordinate with LGUs on travel documents at checkpoints

MANILA, Philippines — Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, PNP chief, directed regional and provincial police offices to coordinate with local chief executives on what documents travelers should be ready to present at quarantine control checkpoints to be granted entry into provinces, cities, or municipalities.

This comes after the government's coronavirus task force said that a COVID-19 domestic vaccination card or a certificate of quarantine completion would count as alternatives to a testing requirement for interzonal travel. 

The Department of Health recently clarified that local government units can still ask for RT-PCR test results from visitors before they are allowed entry into the localities.

“In the middle of the ongoing talks about the policy to be implemented on our vaccinated compatriots, I have instructed our police commanders to continue to implement what existing protocols have been issued by the IATF to avoid confusion on the part of our people,” Eleazar said in a statement sent to reporters Thursday.

"I also directed police to continue to liaise with their LGUs to clarify their role in implementing protocols against COVID-19," he added.

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Cities like Navotas have since restricted travel in their localities by still requiring RT-PCR test results and other health-related documents and certifications. 

Eleazar said that the different government agencies and the IATF are still ironing out the policy as he reminded the public to find out the existing rules on the localities they intend to visit to avoid confusion. 

"I also advise our compatriots to first find out the rules of the places you are going to so that your trips will be smooth," Eleazar added.

To date, health authorities have recorded 1.45 million coronavirus cases in the Philippines, 47,519 of whom are still active cases.