By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Despite the announcement of Malacañang on Friday, the Iloilo International Airport will not yet resume outbound international flights on Oct 21, 2020.
The airport’s terminal supervisor and spokesperson, Arthur Parreño, told Daily Guardian in a text message that there was no confirmation yet on whether Iloilo would also resume international flights.
International flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and to Singapore were affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Regular flights from the Iloilo International Airport had been suspended prior to lockdown declarations in the city and province of Iloilo on March 18.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a press statement on Friday that the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) in its Thursday meeting lifted restrictions on non-essential travel abroad starting on Oct. 21.
Travelers would still have to comply with the following requirements:
– Confirmed round-trip tickets;
– Travel and health insurance for those travelling with tourist visas;
– Immigration declaration acknowledging risks in travelling; and
– Negative Antigen test result taken 24 hours before departure.
Antigen tests are being heavily considered by the national government in lieu of the “gold-standard” Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests due to its faster turnaround time and cheaper costs.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat back on Oct. 1 said they were closely looking at the success of the antigen tests as an alternative requirement for domestic tourists travelling to Boracay Island.
NO PROBLEM
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. told Daily Guardian via phone interview that there would “be no problem” if outbound international travel from Iloilo would resume.
The Iloilo International Airport is located in Cabatuan town, within the province’s jurisdiction.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which manages the airport, has been dependent on the governor’s pronouncements on allowed travel to and from the airport.
Defensor said the province would only restrict inbound flights due to the province’s Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) status.
“I don’t have a problem with the outbound flights. I’m okay with that. The only thing we’re going to be strict about is the inbound flights which should only be available to Ilonggos,” the governor said in a phone interview.
The governor added that if the Iloilo Airport would resume international flights, the province will be strict with return trips.
“If they return from their travel, we will have to clarify them either as [Locally Stranded Individual] or a [Returning Overseas Filipino], and we will subject them to health protocols, quarantine and swab testing,” he added.
