Davao City’s request for the partial closure of Davao Region’s borders has been approved and it is only awaiting for the Executive Orders (EOs) from the mayors of Region 11 to set the date for the enforcement of the partial closure.
“The LGUs are going to implement it. Therefore ang executive order ng mayors ang mag set ng date. The IATF is just there to set the guidelines. Ang implementation is with the LGU which is coordinated by the RTF Covid-19,” said Regional Director Alex Roldan of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), who also heads the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF).
The RIATF released a joint RIATF-RTF Resolution No.1 Series of 2021 on Tuesday, the uniform guidelines to regulate entry and exit in regional borders of Region 11.
The RIATF and RTF find it necessary to provide a region-wide border control guidelines to regulate movement into and from Region 11 as an additional and pre-emptive measure against the surge of Covid-19 cases in Davao Region.
The guidelines shall be applied only to inter-regional movement or movement from one region to another and shall be implemented at regional borders subject to adoption by the LGUs while the intra-regional movement or movement within the region shall be governed by local issuances of respective LGUs.
The Local issuances of respective LGUs shall continue to be in effect in their areas of jurisdiction and these guidelines shall only serve to regulate inter-regional movement applicable along regional border controls.
Section 3 states that movement of the authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) shall be allowed if they are health and emergency frontline services and uniformed personnel; government officials and employees on official travel and business; duly-authorized humanitarian assistance actors (HAAs), especially those transporting medical supplies and laboratory specimens related to Covid-19 and other relief assistance; persons traveling for medical reasons but not limited to attendance to burial or next of kin, watchers of medical patients, takers of licensure exams and other similar instances; and those going to and from the airport.
The guidelines require returning residents of Region 11 that are Non-APORs (authorized persons outside of residence) to present ID showing residence or any other proof of residence and negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours.
The essential travel of non-residents into Region 11 will be allowed provided that any one of the proof of appointment, medical prescription/referral or any other docuyment showing proof of essential transaction will be presented. The traveler shall be only allowed to stay for a maximum of 24 hours within the region unless the transaction availed of requires more than 24-hour stay. Also proof of accommodation shall be presented by travelers staying for more than 24 hours at border control points.
Section 5 states that tourists that are non-resident of Region 11 shall be allowed entry provided that they present negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours and resort booking confirmation.
Section 6 states that travelers that are merely passing through the region shall be allowed to stay within Region 11 within a specified time and the entry point shall coordinate with the exit point that the vehicle/traveler shall be expected to pass thru within a specified time.
Meanwhile, movement of cargoes and goods shall be unhampered, however, must observe up to a maximum of five persons only of personnel delivery vehicles and personnel shall undergo usual symptom screening protocol at the port of destination’s entry.
