PH drops quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers coming from ‘green’ countries from October 14th

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/10/13/PH-drops-quarantine-fully-vaccinated-.html

This makes it so much easier now for those entering the Philippines or expats here who want to go out but are concerned about quarantine on their return.

The 'Green list', updated on 4th September, includes Australia, China, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), New Zealand, Taiwan. I have shown only the countries (from the list) almost everyone would find relevant (including those on a Visa run) but the fuller list can be found at:
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/9/4/IATF-updated-green-list.html?_=1634120215272

It does not yet include US, UK, most of the EU. Read the article for full details of tests and documents required.

 

It sounds like some improvement, though I am also very interested what is their source of the frequent update of such a list. Moreover coming from a country that is green on day 1 does not mean it will be still green on day 10 or later. Making a flight reservation and actual date you will fly you cannot afford an elapse of too many days. Chances are by the time you will board for your flight the color of the country you are departing from might be no longer on the list as it was indicated green some days earlier.

 

For sure - everything changes by the day, the hour or the minute.

For example, the Fastcat service from Duma to Dapitan is shown on the internet (what they call their 'latest schedule') as 2 am, 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm (6 trips) - but no-one can trust information from the internet, especially for the Philippines and even more so now. So a friend of some relatives of my wife said they had done the route recently and the schedule is now 2 a.m., 10 a.m., 6 p.m. (3 trips). I said don't trust that information but check NOW at the port. They checked yesterday AT THE FASTCAT'S OWN OFFICE and were told that the schedule is now 10.30 a.m. ONLY. (Down to 1 trip but at least they knew the time of departure - they thought!). They arrived at the port this morning at 9 a.m. and the ferry had departed at 6 a.m. "Because it was already full". Btw, they were told there might be another one at 6 p.m. BUT "it depends if the ferry captain is tired". Maybe this is just the Philippines!

Fortunately there were two other ferries running today from other companies and so my relatives took one of them.

If trips are not urgent it seems best to wait for things to get back to 'normal' (which in the Philippines means remaining chaotic).

 

It's a shambles.

 

Glad to hear your relatives are finding there way. Sorry about the loss. Thank you for keeping us informed about the travel opportunities. I hope the ferry they took is as fast as the fast cat. I was thinking about taking a trip on that ferry but I would prefer to go to straight to CDO and avoid the bus between Dapitan to CDO.

 

Thanks.

The relatives going from Dumaguete missed the funeral but will be there later for the benefit of the widow. They are not actually going to CdO - but to Ozamiz. I think the alternative ferry Duma to Dapitan is about 5 hours (the Fastcat is about 3 hours, but I have been told that even when scheduled for 10.30 a.m. (joke lang) it often doesn't leave until 11 or 12). I am just appalled that they can give out information one day and totally fail to fulfil it the next. The only logical explanation is that people were turning up at 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. (as now incorrectly shown on the internet) and so filled the ferry. Surely hundreds expecting to leave at 10.30 a.m. are not going to turn up pre-6 a.m.! Or, knowing this country, are they?

In this country you might as well guess everything because nothing is as you are told. Information has no value, however much effort you make to obtain it (even at the port they were told "You only need an antigen test and get it done at Tampi" from one source, "You only need an antigen test and get it at Bacong" from another). In fact, a RT-PCT was required and the Red Cross was then given as the best place - but they only do a saliva test (I assume this in an antigen test), so sent on to Ace Hospital (swab tests closed at 3 p.m. or so) and ended up at Provincial the next day for the swabbing - and TO THE CREDIT of Provincial, they had the results ready by 8.30 a.m. the following day, as promised.

My conclusions: Get RT-PCR at Provincial (between 8 a.m. to 12 noon and costs P2.700), pack a lunch and deck chair and camp out at the Port from midnight as your planned ferry due to leave late morning may go hours sooner! Oh, and again, to reinforce this point, treat MOST information you are given as worthless.

 

WARNING about easier entry to Phil:

I just read "Malacañang on Thursday allayed concerns regarding the lifting of quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated Filipinos coming from “green” countries or territories.

It’s only effective for a day because we will review the green list tomorrow and only a few Filipinos or travelers come from the green list countries."

I still think they mean all travellers but in this quoted article they do say "... for fully vaccinated Filipinos".

As usual, if relying on information here, then double check - and check some more. Then hope it's correct.

 

I just had a relative who is an OFW in China try to come home. Had a negative PCR test in China and tested positive (asymptotic) in Manila a day or two later and was sent back to China. Nice to see how the Philippines treats their countryman.