THE REGIONAL Interagency Task Force (RIATF) released Tuesday a resolution that defines the requirements for people entering the Davao Region, be they residents or visitors.
However, Interior and Local Government Regional Director Alex Roldan, chair of the RIATF, said the implementation of this new uniform border control system is left to the discretion of local government units.
“Therefore, ang executive order ang mayors ang mag set ng date. The IATF is just there to set the guidelines. Ang implementation is with the LGU in coordination with the RTF (Regional Task Force)- COVID-19,” Roldan said.
The next step, he explained, is for the LGUs to craft their executive orders based on the resolution.
He said the RTF-COVID-19, which is headed by Office of Civil Defense Regional Director Manolito Orense, and the LGUs will discuss when they will release the executive order simultaneously.
The biggest point of the new order is identifying who among those planning to enter the region need to present negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results in addition to regular requirements.
Under Section 3 of the resolution, authorized persons outside residents (APOR) can enter the region freely. These people include health and emergency frontline services and uniformed personnel, government officials and employees on official travel and official business, duly- authorized humanitarian assistance actors (HAAs) and other relief and humanitarian assistance, persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, persons going to and from the airport, anyone crossing zones for work or business permitted in zone of destination, and going back home, and public utility vehicle operators and others that may be provided for the police.
Residents who are returning to the region who are non-APOR will be required to present negative RT-PCR test results taken at most three days before their travel and the proof of residence.
For returning overseas Filipinos, their local government units can fetch them from the airport.
For essential travellers who are not residents of the region, they need to present proof of their appointments or documents that would show their travel is essential. Their stay in the region, however, must not go beyond 24 hours unless their transactions need longer period, of which proofs would also be required.
Aside from the negative RT-PCR test results, tourists entering the region would also be required to present their proofs of booking confirmation and staysafe.ph applications. Their test results must be submitted electronically to the accommodation facilities that they have booked at most 72 hours before they enter the region.
The management of the facilities will then submit these results to the Department of Health Operation Center for verification to avoid the submission of bogus test results.
Residents of the region who want to visit other local government within the region will just need to follow the protocols of the LGUs that they are visiting.
For movement of cargoes, personnel of these delivery vehicles must not go beyond 5 people and that they will also be subjected to the usual symptom screening protocols at the entry points and that they must observe the minimum health protocols.
