Philippine Airlines (PAL) welcomed the government's easing of domestic travel restrictions, allowing point to point travel for all ages, provided seniors, pregnant women and persons with identified health risks are fully vaccinated.
The new Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines now allow point-to-point interzonal travel (including leisure travel) from the National Capital Region (NCR) to areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) for individuals below 18 years of age and fully vaccinated individuals over 65 years of age. Individuals aged 18 to 65, regardless of vaccination status, are allowed to travel.
However, they are still subject to the regulations and protocols set by the Local Government Unit (LGU) of the destination city or province and the guidelines of the Department of Tourism.
"We welcome the latest moves by key LGUs to relax travel protocols, including those for travel to Cebu, Iloilo, Butuan, Dipolog, Tacloban, Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro, Palawan and other areas," PAL Senior Vice President Dexter C. Lee said on Thursday, Oct. 14.
"We hope more LGUs will follow suit in easing travel protocols. The government's intensified vaccination drive across various provinces is an important factor in these decisions to make travel more convenient while ensuring the safety of everyone," Lee said.
As of Oct. 13, 2021, domestic destinations which have relaxed their travel requirements and provided special considerations for fully vaccinated travelers include:
Butuan - Fully-vaccinated travelers may present their Vaccination Cards in lieu of taking RT-PCR tests.
Cagayan de Oro - No COVID-19 test required for all travelers.
Catarman - No COVID-19 test required for all travelers.
Coron - Fully-vaccinated travelers with negative RT-PCR/Saliva test result are now allowed to travel to Coron. (Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers are however not allowed).
Culion - Fully-vaccinated travelers with negative RT-PCR test result are now allowed. (Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers are however not allowed)
Cebu Province (other than Cebu City, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu City) - Travelers may present a Medical Certificate secured 24 hours before flight.
Cebu City - Fully-vaccinated travelers may take a Saliva Test (within 48 hours of departure) instead of RT-PCR or Antigen tests. Cebu-bound tourists whose final destination is Mactan island must comply with Lapu-Lapu City’s travel requirements. Currently, Lapu-Lapu City requires a negative RT-PCR/Antigen test result prior to departure.
Dipolog - Fully-vaccinated APOR travelers under official business whose stay in Dipolog does not exceed 48 hours may present their vaccination cards instead of a negative RT-PCR result.
Guimaras - Fully-vaccinated travelers may present their Vaccination Cards in lieu of taking RT-PCR tests.
Iloilo City - Returning Residents and ROFs no longer need to present their RT-PCR test result.
Maguindanao Province (except Cotabato) - Fully-vaccinated travelers going to Maguindanao may present their Vaccination Cards/records in lieu of taking the RT-PCR Test.
Negros Oriental - Fully-vaccinated travelers traveling to Dumaguete and in Negros Oriental may take an Antigen test with a negative result (valid up to 48 hours upon release of result) instead of an RT-PCR test and present their Vaccination Cards/Records.
Negros Occicdental (except Bacolod City) - Fully-vaccinated travelers traveling to Negros Occidental may present their Vaccination Cards/records in lieu of taking the RT-PCR Test.
Ozamiz - Fully-vaccinated travelers may present their vaccination card and negative Antigen Test Result (taken within 72 hours of departure) in lieu of taking the RT-PCR test.
Puerto Princesa - Fully-vaccinated APOR travelers who intend to stay in the city for a maximum of 3 days only may present their vaccination cards/records to be exempted from the mandatory 10-day quarantine.
Pagadian City - No COVID-19 test required for all travelers.
Tacloban - Fully-vaccinated travelers may present their Vaccination Cards in lieu of taking RT-PCR tests.
The flag carrier urges the flying public to take advantage of their fully vaccinated status when traveling to domestic destinations.