Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 18) — Foreign nationals who left the country from December 17 onwards can be allowed to return as long as they comply with certain conditions and have the required visas, according to the government’s policy-making body for COVID-19 response.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, in its resolution released on Friday, said the new rules apply for foreign nationals with valid and existing visas under Sections 9(e) and 9(g) of the Philippine Immigration Act.
These provisions refer to accredited foreign government officials and their family and employees, as well as those with prearranged employment visas. They are allowed reentry on the following conditions:
– they have valid and existing visas on the date of arrival;
– with pre-booked quarantine facility;
– and with pre-booked COVID-19 testing at a laboratory operating at the airport.
Their arrival shall also depend on the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port and date of entry.
“The foregoing is without prejudice to immigration laws, rules and regulations,” the IATF noted. “The Commissioner of Immigration shall have the exclusive prerogative to decide on waiver or recall of exclusion orders for the above foreign nationals, including other foreign nationals who have entered the Philippines by virtue of Inter-Agency Task Force resolutions.”
It also tasked the Bureau of Immigration to come up with the implementing guidelines, including the necessary coordination with the airlines.
The Philippines remains closed to foreigners with a few exceptions, including foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens. The government has suspended the issuance of visas since March, when coronavirus cases started to spike, forcing Luzon into months of lockdown.
The country has recorded over 454,000 COVID-19 cases while the entire country is under varying levels of community quarantine.
