Most local government units in Luzon have transitioned into general community quarantine but border controls remain in place to regulate the movement of people to prevent the spread of the Covid-19.
In the operational guidelines of the National Task Force Against the Covid-19 on the management of locally stranded individuals, stranded residents, those passing through, those travelling due to an emergency may be allowed to travel provided they submit a health declaration form, medical certificate, ID card, and travel permit.
Stranded individuals include displaced workers, students, residents who are coming from tourist or leisure trips, foreign tourists, and other individuals who were not able to go home to their residences due to the Luzon lockdown declared in March.
In the case of Baguio, entry would require a travel permit issued by the regional or provincial police office of origin.
A requirement in the issuance of a travel permit is a medical certificate issued by the health office where the stranded individuals stayed.
For Baguio, a health declaration form downloadable from hdf.gov.ph should be filled out and uploaded along with scanned copies of medical certificate issued at least three days before preferred date of travel, ID card bearing proof of residence.
Executive Assistant V Felipe Puzon of the City Mayor’s Office said an applicant should not be a probable, suspect or confirmed Covid-19 case.
Prior to applying for a medical certificate, the stranded individual should have completed the 14-day quarantine.
If the applicant was a Covid-19 confirmed case, he/she should have tested negative through RT-PCR twice.
The City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) will validate the authenticity of the documents.
If approved, the CDRRMO will schedule the date of travel to the city and inform the applicant via text message.
Family members travelling together, regardless of age, all need to register.
The CDRRMO will provide a list of the names and schedules of those who were allowed to return to Baguio to the Tactical Operations Center of the Baguio City Police Office and the city’s triage units.
After receiving the schedule of travel, applicant may proceed to the nearest Philippine National Police office of point of origin and apply for a travel authority signed and approved by the PNP regional director.
The travel authority will be presented by applicant at checkpoints.
Upon arrival in Baguio, the applicant will undergo triage where he/she will be assessed by a nurse if he/she will either be referred in a holding facility, home quarantined and monitored by Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams, or to a hospital.
Puzon said if visit to Baguio is only for a short while, they will still need a travel authority and to ensure that he/she will not linger in the city, personnel of the BCPO will escort him/her until the city’s egress point.
For returning workers, aside from medical certificate and travel permit from point of origin, they should submit employment ID, certificate of employment, and return to work order.
The CDRRMO will also validate the authenticity of documents uploaded and schedule date of travel, and forward names to the BCPO Tactical Operations Center and to triage units.
For outbound Baguio residents who only intend to fetch relatives who were stranded in other places, relative should follow the procedure in securing a travel authority.
The relative from Baguio should secure a clearance certificate from the City Mayor’s Office, and present proof of residence. The person to be fetched should already have a confirmed return schedule before a clearance certificate can be issued.
If a Baguio resident need to go out of the city for essential travel, they need to present proof of residence and proof of their essential travel to another province before a travel permit will be issued by the Office of the Mayor.
For workers who are required to travel between regions due the nature of their employment, they also need to register online, upload a health declaration form, medical certificate issued by the City Health Office, certificate of employment, return to work order, proof of transaction or work duties outside of Baguio, if any, prior to the issuance of an inter-region clearance certificate from the Office of the Mayor.
For Baguio residents working in La Union, a certificate of acceptance from La Union is an additional requirement.
When travelling in and out of Baguio, the inter-region clearance should be presented at checkpoints.
Upon returning to Baguio for the first time, they will undergo triage and should inform BHERTS where their employer deployed them.
They may also be randomly tested at triage area.
For residents of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay, coming into Baguio, they only need to show their home quarantine passes.
Other LGUs in the Cordillera also have the same basic requirements for outbound and inbound residents, workers, and stranded individuals.
For inquiries, call 427-6625. – Rimaliza A. Opiña
