Labella clears up rules for city travellers

CEBU, Philippines — To ease out confusion, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has issued an executive order amending Executive Order No. 105 which provides the guidelines for travel into the city.

In the EO No. 105-A, Labella clarified that the guidelines shall be applicable to all persons who intend to travel to Cebu City from other provinces outside Cebu Province via the airport and seaports.

“These guidelines shall not cover persons coming from other local government units within Cebu Province, as well as returning or repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Returning Overseas Filipinos (RFOs),” read EO No. 105-A.

Monday night when Labella issued EO No. 105, it reaped mixed reactions from the netizens, mostly negative, following new requirements and to whom these shall be applicable.

April Mae Avenido, a resident of Talisay City, said she got worried upon reading the EO minutes after it was posted in the Mayor’s official Facebook page when she is currently working on with her application for graduation in a university in Cebu City.

“I really got worried because of the new EO since I have to visit my school from time to time. The schedule of my professors differs from each other so it means if you haven’t met him on the day of his school visit, you have to wait for another week to meet him,” said Avenido.

Avenido, as someone studying in Cebu City, appealed to the city government to give clear details in terms of requirements and rules.

“I hope next time mas clear ang i-release nga EO to avoid confusion. Kay malihis atong pagsabot kung dili klaro, para pud dili ma-misunderstood sa tawo ang buot pasabot,” she said.

Clarenz Jay Mendoza, a long-term authorized person outside of residence (APOR) who is currently in his hometown in Sta. Margarita, Samar, said he got surprised with the new EO.

“I was surprised the time I read the new EO posted last night. This is because I have the necessary requirements for my travel inbound the city, supposedly this week, but I have to secure additional and update all the documents considering the terms and conditions stated on the new EO,” said Mendoza.

Mendoza has been processing the requirements to return here because he has appointments with government offices and his previous university that are both located in Cebu City.

“On my part, it's a little bit hard to comply because of the number of days that I have to spend in waiting, more or less, I have to wait 24-48 hours before I receive a response from the authority about the document. So, it's quite hard for me to secure one,” said Mendoza.

Section 3 (A) states no person shall be allowed entry into the city without presenting an Authority to Enter (ATE). Such ATE shall be issued upon the submission/upload of the following documents to the city government portal at www.mics.cebucity.gov.ph/inboundapplication.

For a travel due to medical reasons, the requirements are Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) negative results (test must have been undertaken three days from the date of travel); medical certificate indicating medical condition or referral note from the hospital/doctor or confirmed hospital admission or laboratory request by the attending physician; and valid identification card.

For government employees/officials on official business (government APORs), medical certificate indicating that he/she does not exhibit any of the symptoms of ILI/COVID-19 for the past seven days before traveling; travel order/mission order issued by head of agency; and government agency ID.

Requirements for private APORs include RT-PCR negative results (test must have been undertaken three days from the date of travel); work or travel order from the company indicating purpose of travel; company ID; travel itinerary in the city for the duration of stay or for the first 10 days, whichever is shorter; roundtrip ticket/travel details; confirmed booking of accommodation in the city.

For VISA/Embassy appointments, RT-PCR negative results (test must have been undertaken three days from the date of travel); copy of confirmed VISA/Embassy appointment; valid identification card or passport; and roundtrip ticket or travel details.

For the locally stranded individuals (LSIs), RT-PCR negative results (test must have been undertaken three days from the date of travel); letter of coordination from the barangay in the city; and JTF COVID Shield travel authority (medical certificate, barangay clearance from LGU of origin).

The documents needed for the cadaver transfer are death certificate of the cadaver (non-COVID); RT-PCR negative results (test must have been undertaken three days from the date of travel) for all the companions/escorts; JTF COVID Shield travel authority for all the companions/escorts.

For non-essential travel (leisure/vacation and others), RT-PCR negative results (test must have been undertaken three days from the date of travel); travel itinerary in the city for the duration of stay or for the first 10 days, whichever is shorter; JTF COVID Shield travel authority (medical certificate, barangay clearance from LGU of origin); confirmed booking of accommodation in the city; and roundtrip ticket/travel details.

Per Section 3 (B), upon arrival, all the persons mentioned must report to the receiving barangay for monitoring purposes thru the expanded barangay health emergency response teams (E-BHERTs).

Private APORs, non-essential travelers, and LSIs must observe home/self-quarantine within 10 days from arrival and shall be released from such provided that a licensed medical doctor certifies his/her completion of the quarantine period.

If any of the symptoms manifest within the said period, he or she shall undergo an RT-PCR test and further submit himself/herself to self-quarantine until results are released.

If the test result would turn out to be positive, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team will bring him/her to the designated quarantine facility or hospital. — GMR (FREEMAN)