GMA wants SARS bans, travel warnings on RP lifted

President Arroyo ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday to use the official clarification of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the SARS situation in the country to press countries to lift their travel bans or advisories against the Philippines.

"The WHO already spoke on our behalf and I have instructed the DFA to communicate this finding to countries hosting our OFWs," she said.

In an official statement released by the Palace Press Office yesterday, Mrs. Arroyo expressed anew her indignation over the SARS advisories issued against the Philippines by Kuwait, Lebanon, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. The countries banned the entry of Filipinos for fear of SARS.

The governments of Japan and Singapore also advised their citizens not to travel to the Philippines unless necessary. Singapore later withdrew the advisory.

"It is unfair for some countries to include the Philippines in travel bans or advisories, but this could be a result merely of miscommunication or the lack of information," Mrs. Arroyo said.

She then ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople to immediately notify these countries about the Philippine government’s effective control measures to prevent the spread of SARS in the country.

"We are working with the WHO on this issue and we will ensure that the jobs of our OFWs are protected," the President assured.

The Philippines was included by the WHO in its list of SARS-infected countries after six people, who came in contact with Canada-based nursing attendant Adela Catalon and her 74-year old father Mauricio, developed SARS symptoms.

Dayrit said that the Philippines will have to wait until May 20, before it could be declared again by the WHO as SARS-free. Under its policy, WHO declares a SARS-infected country free of the deadly disease if no local transmission has occurred for 20 consecutive days.

Dr. Consorcia Quizon, chief epidemiologist of the Department of Health, said she is confident that the Philippines could hurdle the 20-day observation period as the six Catalon contacts have been properly isolated.

However, Dayrit said that if the 80-year-old Filipino-American now quarantined in South Korea after manifesting SARS symptoms upon arrival from the Philippines turns out to be a SARS case, the Philippines will be placed by the WHO in the same category as Beijing, Guangdong or Hong Kong and a travel advisory against the Philippines will be issued by the WHO.

As it is now, the country’s inclusion in the WHO’s list of SARS-infected countries have taken a toll on the country’s labor and tourism industries. This despite the pronouncement of WHO representative Jean Marc Olive that the SARS cases in the Philippines have been "well contained."

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), however, allayed fears that more countries are restricting entry of OFWs due to the SARS problem.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said there is no truth to reports that Saudi Arabia may also impose a ban on the entry of Filipinos. She clarified that only Taiwan and Libya have imposed restrictions on the entry of Filipino workers.

Sto. Tomas expressed confidence that the existing ban in the two countries would be lifted as soon as the WHO reviews its classification of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health of the United Arab Emirates, Hamad Abdul Rahman, said in Gulf News’s online edition that they are "not going to ban flights coming from SARS-infected countries and we are not going to ban issuing visas to people from those countries."

Anti-SARS measures

In line with the government’s effort to tighten the watch against probable SARS cases entering and leaving the country, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has installed over the weekend a fever-sensing machine at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

MIAA general manager Edgardo Manda said the machine, called "Raytek," is intended to expedite tracking of passengers with temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more. It is also expected to address the requirement of the Taiwanese government for Taiwan-bound passengers to submit a SARS medical certificate from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), stating that they have undergone the necessary medical evaluation.

Manda said that with this and all other initiatives directed towards containing the spread of the deadly virus, the Philippines looks forward to regaining its SARS-free status in the WHO.

Even the Sandiganbayan is now implementing an anti-SARS measure by requiring employees and guests to undergo a temperature check before entering the five-story Sandiganbayan building. Employees are likewise encouraged to undergo anti-flu and anti-pneumonia vaccination.

Meanwhile, in support of the government’s anti-SARS campaign, Japanese chargé d’affaires Akio Egawa handed over to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) medical supplies consisting mainly of personal protective gears such as the N95 masks and coveralls.

This forms part of the Japanese grant-aid up to 43.5 million yen (approximately P19 million) in medical supplies and equipment for the country’s fight against the spread of the deadly disease. — With Mayen Jaymalin, Sandy Araneta, Sheila Crisostomo, Delon Porcala