A BOOTH has been installed at Pier 1 at the city’s seaport to check if inbound travelers for Cebu City are complying with requirements set by the local government.
Aside from the negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test requirement which the Cebu City Government requires from inbound travelers, a travel coordination permit (TCP) or Travel Pass Thru Permit (TPP) also needs to be secured.
The TCP or TPP can be acquired through online registration at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System
The travel pass is issued after filling up a form online and uploading the necessary documents to the website https://s-pass.ph/.
These requirements for Cebu City inbound travelers are pursuant to the mandate of the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), according to Mayor Edgardo Labella.
Labella said personnel of the City Government have been deployed since early March at the seaport to check on these requirements.
As for air travelers headed for Cebu City, Labella said the management of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) has not yet given the Cebu City Government permission to install a booth again.
‘Barangays of destination’
However, Labella said inbound travelers coming through the airport will eventually have to present these similar requirements when they report to their respective barangays of destination as required by his new executive order (EO).
The EO requires all travelers, except for government authorized persons outside of residence (Apor), to report to their receiving barangays for monitoring.
Labella issued the EO on March 25, 2021.
Based on the EO, those required to present a negative RT-PCR test result are returning Cebu City residents, private Apor, non-Apor, tourists, and those traveling for humanitarian reasons.
The negative result must have been issued not less than 72 hours or three days prior to the person’s arrival in Cebu City.
Meanwhile, government Apors on official business have to present their government ID, and mission or travel order.
They must also make sure that they have no coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms upon their arrival, Labella said.
The EO mandates that travelers must be checked for Covid-19 symptoms upon arrival. If the travelers manifest symptoms, a new RT-PCR test will be required.
Labella said those transiting through Cebu City will still need to present a TPP at their respective ports of origin and destination.
Labella said the added requirements may cause some inconvenience among the travelers, but he said this is only for the welfare of the Cebu City residents.