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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider BI not imposing added restrictions under latest MECQ

BI not imposing added restrictions under latest MECQ

Published Aug 7, 2020 10:51 am

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has not imposed additional restrictions on international travel despite the re-imposition  of modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

A security officer (L) walks past empty check-in counters at the airport in Manila on August 4, 2020. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)

“Existing travel restrictions remain unchanged until these are revised or changed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID),” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said in a statement.

"Unlike domestic flights which are suspended under MECQ, international flights at airports in Manila, Cebu and Clark continue," he added.

Morente advised the public to always keep themselves updated on international travel guidelines implemented by the BI by accessing the bureau’s website at www.immigration.gov.ph and other social media accounts such as www.facebook.com/immigration.helpline.ph and www.facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration.

He said postings on the bureau's official website and social media accounts are regularly updated to enlighten the public on existing travel guidelines.

The BI chief said he was prompted to issue the statement after the agency's offices were again swamped with numerous calls and queries after the government announced that Metro Manila was reverting to MECQ.

According to BI port operations chief Grifton Medina, the country remains off limits to foreign tourists.

Furthermore, aside from Filipinos, only holders of permanent immigrant visas and foreign spouses, minor dependents and foreign parents of Filipino minor children can enter the country.

“However, dependents of Filipinos and children of foreigners who have special needs may enter the country, regardless of age,” Medina said.

He also reiterated that only foreigners, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and Filipinos who are permanent residents or students abroad are permitted to leave the country.

Medina also reported that despite the government’s decision to allow the entry of aliens with permanent resident or immigrant visa, only 87 of them have so far arrived since August 1-5, 2020.

The figure represents a 94-percent drop from 1,412 permanent residents who arrived in the country during the same five-day period in 2019.

Earlier, the BI said its records indicate that there are still about 15,000 foreigners who are permanent residents who were stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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