IATF mulls standardizing requirements for local tourists
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the government's pandemic task force will look into standardizing the requirements for Filipinos who want to visit local tourist destinations as the country moves to reopen the economy that suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a virtual presser on Thursday morning, Nograles said the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will study recommendations to have a uniform set of requirements that local government units (LGUs) can ask from domestic tourists.
"But now, there are some proposals and recommendations na bakit hindi na lang natin gawin na iyong mga requirements na standard per LGU (make the requirements standard for all LGU)," he said
"This is something na pag-uusapan pa namin sa (that we will have to talk about in the) IATF together with the Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and all the other departments involved here," he added.
Nograles, who co-chairs the IATF, said it was important to consult with the LGU since they were initially given the authority to have their own requirements.
"It has to be a healthy discussion at kailangan mayroon po tayong tinatawag na pakikipag-ugnayan with the (and there has to be coordination with the) LGUs, so that we can have some common ground," he said.
Domestic tourists were initially advised to coordinate with the LGU of their destination if they are planning to travel there since different LGUs have different sets of requirements.
According to the Palace official, what the IATF can do for now is to make sure that LGUs are not asking for too many requirements.
"IATF, through the regional IATF, will make sure na walang (that there is no) overbreath or hindi sobra-sobra iyong mga requirements sa mga minimum standards na kinakailangan at hinahanap ng IATF (it won't exceed the minimum standards that the IATF has been requiring)," Nograles said.
"Iyon lang po iyong basic rule (That is the basic rule)," he added.
Tourism is one of the industries gravely affected by the COVIC-19 pandemic. In the Philippines, domestic tourism reopened in September 2020. The country remains closed for foreign tourists.