Iloilo imposes strict border controls

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said on Tuesday that there would be very few exceptions to border closure policies while the province is under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) until July 31, 2021.

Defensor first announced the return of border restrictions on Monday after meeting with Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Capiz Governor Esteban Evan Contreras.

Treñas and Contreras had already issued their respective Executive Orders (EO) on border restrictions by Monday evening.

But Defensor only issued EO No. 283 series of 2021 on Tuesday, unlike his counterparts.

Under the new EO, only returning residents, Overseas Filipino Workers, residents of Iloilo City and Guimaras, and Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) are allowed into the province.

Only the following persons are considered as APORs in this new EO:

-Health and emergency frontline services personnel;

-Government officials and government frontline personnel;

-Duly authorized humanitarian assistance actors (HAAs);

-Persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, especially those transporting medical supplies and laboratory specimens related to COVID-19, and other relief humanitarian assistance;

-Persons going to and from the airport;

-Persons crossing zones for work or business permitted in the zone of destinations, or activities as may be authorized by the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), and going back home; and

-Public utility vehicle operators.

Returning residents from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Negros Occidental, and Bacolod City must present a notice of coordination with the municipality of their residence and any of the following IDs:

-Voter’s ID Card issued by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC);

-Philippine Passport;

-Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) Card;

-Postal ID Card;

-Tax Identification Number (TIN) Card;

-IATF-MEID IDs issued by the regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over permitted establishments or persons;

-Valid IDs or other pertinent documentation issued by accredited organizations or establishments; and

-Any government issued ID/Certificate showing proof of residence.

But starting tomorrow, July 22, the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage System (S-PaSS) shall also be required. The notice of coordination and IDs also required for the issuance of the S-PaSS.

Residents of Iloilo City and Guimaras passing through the province shall also secure their ID and notice requirements from their local government units (LGU).

Returning residents from Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City who show symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shall not be allowed to return home immediately and shall be admitted to the appropriate facility for quarantine and treatment.

OFWs and returning residents from other parts of the country are required to adhere to the following provisions of EO No. 258, series of 2021:

* OFWs

OFWs shall be subject to the current Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test and quarantine procedures administered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) upon their arrival;

They shall be subject to health monitoring by their respective City/Municipal Health Officers and BHERTs for 10 days from arrival; and

Those who develop symptoms within the 10-day period, shall be admitted in the appropriate facility for isolation/quarantine and treatment until recovered.

* Returning residents

Returning Residents shall only be allowed entry if they are asymptomatic;

Returning Residents shall be examined for symptoms upon arrival, and those found with COVID-19 symptoms shall be admitted in the appropriate facility for quarantine and treatment; Provided that, those found without symptoms shall be free to proceed to their destinations and travel within the Province;

Returning Residents shall be required to have a valid government ID showing proof of residence, or their counterpart issued by a foreign government for returning Overseas Filipinos;

Notice of coordination with the City/Municipality of destination shall be required; and

Returning Residents shall be required negative RT-PCR test result issued not earlier than 72 hours before travel to the Province.

APORs and Returning Residents going to and from the airport are required to present government issued IDs, airline tickets and other travel requirements or documents.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Defensor clarified that the prohibitions would only apply to non-residents who are not APORs.

He said he delayed the issuance of the EO because he had to meet with the Provincial Quarantine Team and implementing regional line agencies due to the distinctions in land, air, and sea boundaries.

As an effect of the border restrictions, border checkpoints would be placed in different points of entry, with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the towns of Balasan and San Joaquin and Passi City, Philippine Coast Guard to various water-based ports, and the PNP Aviation Security Group at the Iloilo International Airport.

“Our restrictions would only be for non-residents. APORs and our fellow Ilonggos would not fall under these restrictions. I did not sign this yesterday because in our experience, it would be better when we have already fixed things with our fellow implementers,” Defensor said.

As to the requirement of the notice of coordination with respective LGUs, the governor said that this was in anticipation of the ECQ and border restrictions extending beyond July 31.

“People can show IDs only for the meantime, but we will give time that they must show [notice of] coordination. This is long-term, in anticipation that we extend beyond [July] because we have preparation for other levels. If we implement requirements, we have to give time,” he said.