PAL sets up COVID testing at NAIA 2 for non-OFWs

PHILIPPINE Airlines has rolled out a One-Stop-Shop (OSS) center at Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to perform the mandatory RT PCR swab testing for returning overseas Filipinos and authorized foreign nationals.

Starting August 1, the PAL OSS is significantly augmenting the Manila airport’s capacity to screen travelers and process quarantine requirements for passengers who fly into the Philippines’ biggest gateway on PAL flights from North America, the Middle East, Europe, Oceania and all over Asia.

Accredited by the National Task Force (NTF), the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the Department of Health (DOH), PAL’s One-Stop-Shop is capable of testing 1,200 passengers in a day and producing test results within 48 hours.

The new PAL facility is dedicated to non-overseas Filipino worker travelers, to complement the government’s current One-Stop-Shop for OFWs.

PAL’s medical service partner Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory will conduct the mandatory RT PCR COVID19 tests for non-OFWs, while the Philippine Coast Guard will administer the tests for all arriving OFWs.  The Department of Tourism and the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) are on hand to assist arriving non-OFWs with their hotel bookings and related needs such as bus transfers.

Non-OFWs, namely returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and authorized foreign nationals,  are required to register via the PALlink– https://bit.ly/3ffoAIK — and submit an accomplished electronic Case Investigation Form (e-CIF) at least three days prior to boarding their flight to the Philippines. They also need to secure an advance booking at any government-accredited hotel in Manila for at least two (nights, in line with the time expected to process and release their COVID test results.

Travelers will need to pay the costs of the swab test and hotel accommodation.

The OSS facility will help PAL avoid the costly and burdensome re-routing of some international flights to land in Cebu or Clark instead of Manila.

The PAL facility at Terminal 2 has been operating on a trial basis since June 27 and has successfully processed passengers arriving from San Francisco and other selected international flights.