Temporary hold on foreigners entering the Philippines

[Snowy79]

1 hour ago, scott h said:

My question is, if all visitors are tested at the airport, sent to quarantine, tested again before release in 14 days, just how the hell are these new variants or new positives getting here?

I asked this out load and the wife looked at me (you know that look that says "no wonder I have to cut your meat and pick what cloths you wear" )

She said, OFW's are bribing immigration officials and guards at quarantine hotels....she has no proof,,,but wouldn't surprise me 

My ex transitted through Manila on the way to Cebu.  She said there were loads of OFW in the terminal that had arrived from overseas happily mingling with the domestic passengers. 

[JJReyes]

So far, no government official has offered a reasonable, logical explanation for the entry lockdown.  OFWs arrivals at 1,500 per day means 45,000 persons during the one month stated period.  Aren't they as likely to be Covid-19 transmitters as non-OFWs?  I suspect government officials are mindful that their vaccine rollout incompetence is becoming obvious.  What is needed is a distraction.  Let's blame all those new arrivals for the increasing number of cases.

[JJReyes]

Weird.  I just learned through a GMA news broadcast in Pilipino that the 1,500 passenger per day limit is for NAIA.  Philippine Airlines is planning to divert incoming international flights to Cebu and Clark.  What's going on?  Maybe the quarantine hotels in those two cities are not getting enough business.

[scott h]

2 hours ago, JJReyes said:

What's going on?

Grasping at straws JJ and trying to appear to be doing something to address the surge. All sorts of inane rules are popping up in the Metro area.

2 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Maybe the quarantine hotels in those two cities are not getting enough business.

The Q hotels here in Metro are full as well as the quarantine centers. Unlike you or I who can afford to pick and pay for a higher class hotel. the OFWs are put up in budget Hotels on the Governments dime. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

Just In . Slight change for some.

https://www.facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration/posts/1971311413007556

[softail]

Gov't allows entry of all Filipinos in revised travel ban

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 19) —The National Task Force against COVID-19 on Friday revised its rules on suspension of entry into the country amid a steady upward trend in new coronavirus infections nationwide.

All Filipino citizens are now allowed to return to the Philippines, taking a turn from the memorandum circular issued on Tuesday that non-overseas Filipino workers will be temporarily barred from entering the country.

Entry of most foreigners will be suspended from March 22 to 11:59 pm of April 21. Exempted from the ban are diplomats, foreigners involved in medical repatriation, foreign seafarers under the 'green lanes' program, foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens traveling with them, and other humanitarian cases approved by the task force.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier announced that incoming international flights would be allowed to carry only up to 1,500 passengers per day in a bid to control the new surge in infections in the country.

The Duterte administration is in discussion of imposing a "circuit breaker" similar to those in other countries where strict lockdowns are carried out for a limited time in the hopes of breaking the chain of virus transmission.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/19/Travel-ban-Filipino-foreigners-COVID-19-cases.html

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by softail

[fred]

So this time it looks like they allow Foreigner BB`s but do not mention 13a holder exceptions.
Country is a political basket case.
 

[softail]

16 hours ago, fred said:

So this time it looks like they allow Foreigner BB`s but do not mention 13a holder exceptions.
Country is a political basket case.
 

PRESSRELEASE
2021 March 19
 BI to implement IATF order suspending entry of foreign nationals
Manila, PHILIPPINES—Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente announced that they will be implementing a resolution from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) suspending the travel of foreign nationals into the Philippines.
 According to Morente, said travel suspension will take effect on Monday, and will remain until April 21.
The move of the IATF is a result of the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country. A similar order was likewise issued by the National Task Force Against Covid-19, which also set a lower cap to the number of arriving passengers.
“This is a temporary measure following the surge of cases,” said Morente. “We believe that this decision of the IATF is necessary to prevent the further spread of the virus,” he added.
In the new guidelines, Filipinos, as well as their spouse and children who are traveling with them, will be allowed to enter the country provided that said foreign nationals are able to present a valid and existing visa at the time of entry.
Also allowed to enter are diplomats and members of international organizations, and their dependents with a valid 9(e) visa or 47(a)2 visa, and foreign seafarers for crew change with valid 9(c) visa.
“Emergency and humanitarian cases may also be allowed to enter, as approved by the chairperson of the NTF Covid-19 or his duly authorized representative,” said Morente. “Foreign nationals involved in medical repatriation duly endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA – OUMWA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) may also enter. Said cases must be able to present a valid visa
 at the time of entry,” he added.
https://immigration.gov.ph/images/News/2021_Yr/03_Mar/2021Mar19_Press.pdf

It sounds to me like foreigners traveling with there Philippine spouse still needs a visa, not a Balikbayan privilege 

[Balisidar]

On 3/17/2021 at 9:28 AM, Heeb said:

They’re worried about a few people who must get tested twice and do a mandatory quarantine, yet if you go to the barangays you won’t see anyone wearing a mask. 

Not sure about where you live Heeb but here in Batangas almost everyone wears a mask in public.  I'm sure it depends on the local authorities but I've seen checkpoints that are enforcing the mask/face shield rules on public transportation especially.

[fred]

My Mrs reckons that a lot of Filipinos are saying that the rising case numbers are fake news.
They are saying that this is because the authorities are worried about the low confidence in the vaccine.
In other words.. Scare tactics.
Makes sense.