Heading Home to the Province? You Need Only Two Documents
The DILG said there is a lot of "fake news" going around re: travel requirements.
by Leah Nemil-San Jose
May 23, 2020
A health worker in his personal protective equipment checks the medical status of people availing the “Balik-Probinsya Program” before boarding the buses in Quezon City bound to Palo, Leyte on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.
Photo/s: Jerome Ascano
Forced to quarantine in a city that isn't your place of residence?
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), you can finally go home as long as you have a medical certificate issued by the health office of a municipality or city.
In a public briefing, DILG Philippines Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya said the medical certificate will state you are not suspected of COVID-19, nor are you a probable or positive case. It will also say you went through the 14-day quarantine. You do not need to go through a rapid test or PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to have this medical certificate.
If you were COVID-19-positive, you could still get the medical certificate as long as you tested negative after two PCR tests.
Once you have the medical certificate, Malaya said, bring it to a Philippine National Police station, which will issue you a travel authorization.
On May 23, 2020, the DILG ordered the PNP to set up help desks in all of its police stations to assist stranded Filipinos and returning overseas Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This morning, the DILG also clarified Filipinos will not need travel authorization to go to their workplace if their company is allowed to operate under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) or general community quarantine (GCQ). All they need is a company I.D. or a document that serves as proof of employment to return to work.
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