INTER-island shipping passengers who cannot comply with the requirements of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will not be allowed entry into port terminals.
PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago issued this warning yesterday even as he voiced regret that not one of the more than a hundred stranded passengers at the Manila North Harbor was accommodated because none of them can present the complete requirements.
The ports official told public briefing “Laging Handa” that majority of those who failed to board their vessels was persuaded to leave and only around 30 passengers remain camped outside the North Harbor terminal.
“Napakiusapan natin sila, lalo ‘yung mga umaasa ng makakabiyahe pa kahit kulang sa dokumentasyon. Meron pa pong mga umaasa na makakapaglayag pa rin kahit di sila kwalipikado. Sila po’y patuloy nating pinakikiusapan na kung maari, lalo’t merong tayong ECQ (enhance community quarantine) dito sa NCR plus (We were able to persuade many that they should first secure the required documentation. But there are those who remain hopeful that they could sail regardless. We continue to patiently talk to them out of concern since an ECQ has been declared over NCR Plus),” Santiago said.
Malacañang on Saturday placed Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal — collectively called as NCR Plus – under ECQ due to a continuing surge in new COVID-19 cases in the said areas.
The PPA chief appealed to the rest of the stranded passengers to go back to their jobs or residences inside the NCR Plus bubble, or to seek shelter with relatives and friends to avoid the risk of getting infected by the coronavirus.
Santiago clarified that inter-island ferry services have been operating regularly even during the GCQ bubble and now under the ECQ. However, he pointed out that only authorized persons outside of their residence (APORs) are permitted to travel.
Most of those who were stranded, he explained, were caught unaware by the moratorium imposed by Western Visayas against allowing inbound passengers from March 22 to April 4, 2021.
Further jacking up the number were Palawan’s policy to accept only incoming APORs and Zamboanga City government’s requirement that only those who can produce updated negative reverse transcription — polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results will be allowed to disembark.
“It is lamentable but we see here some passengers who brought along youngsters under 18 years old who, we all know, are not even supposed to leave their homes,” Santiago said.
“Hindi po nadadaan sa tigas ng ulo ang pagbiyahe. Sumunod po tayo dahil mahigpit pong ipapatupad ng PPA ang mga batas (Being stubborn won’t do you any good. I suggest you secure all the requirements first because the PPA will be strictly implementing the rules),” he stressed.
In a related matter, the Bureau of Immigration yesterday said foreign parents of Filipino citizens with valid visas and who are traveling with their children can enter the country amid the ECQ restrictions on domestic and international travels.
imposed by the government in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the new rules are compliant with the latest IATF-EID resolution, which was issued last Thursday.
Prior to the issuance of the new resolution, only foreign spouses and children of Filipinos who are traveling with them and who hold valid visas are exempted from the entry ban imposed on all foreign nationals from March 22 to April 30.
“If they are traveling alone, they will not be allowed entry even if they hold valid visas as the rules provide they must be traveling with their Philippine spouse or children,” Morente clarified.
Likewise, Morente said foreign seafarers arriving via the country’s seaports will be allowed to enter as long as they have the required seaman’s visa or crew list visa.
“We welcome the exemption of foreign seafarers from the travel ban as the Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that has opened a ‘green lane’ for these sailors,” he said.
The green lane was launched by the government last year to promote the country as a hub for crew change of international maritime vessels and facilitate the free movement of sailors in the region amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ports of Manila, Subic, Cebu, Bataan, Batangas and Davao have been designated as crew change hubs in the country. — With Ashzel Hachero
