THE Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City has re-opened its premises to tourists and allowed its cadets to receive visitors anew amid the improved COVID-19 situation in the city.
The academy eased its restrictions effective yesterday, or 24 days after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed Baguio City under the lowest Alert Level 1 of quarantine.
Tourists who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to present their vaccination cards, while partially vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists are required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to visit.
It said only 300 tourists will be accepted per day.
All tourists and visitors of cadets are mandated to abide by camp regulations and COVID-19 health protocols.
They are likewise required to follow the requirements set by the Baguio City government prior to entry, including registration with its Visita page and undergoing triage.
Meanwhile, parents, relatives and foster family members of PMA cadets who intend to visit the students need to present negative antigen test taken 24 hours before the visit, while partially vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors are required to produce negative RT-PCR test results taken at least 72 hours before the visit.
Children below 12 years old who are entering the academy as tourists or as visitors of cadets are not required to present any antigen or RT-PCR test as long they are accompanied by adult companions.
In addition to this, the PMA said visitors of cadets will also have to schedule their visit to the academy.
“The opening of PMA to tourists and cadets’ visitors aims to allow the public to see the different tourist spots inside PMA, appreciate its history and its role in producing future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and also boost the welfare and morale of the cadets in seeing and be able to interact with their families and loved ones,” the PMA said in an advisory.
“Furthermore, PMA believes that the support and guidance of parents, relatives, and foster parents is a positive force in motivating the cadets to meet PMA education and training standards,” it added.
PMA spokeswoman 1Lt. Christine Mae Calma said this is the first the PMA eased its restrictions on tourists and visitors since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
“The (regular) visitation of the cadets is also the first time since the onset of the pandemic,” Calma said.
Calma said there was an instance when the PMA allowed “special visits” to cadets. “This time, they can regularly visit the cadets, from Monday to Sunday, with limited timeframe,” she said.
