General Info

[GoodEnough]

I thought about pasting a few links here to the government reports that seem to proliferate daily on various local websites, but I decided against it since doing so might add to the confusion of those trying to draw an accurate set of conclusions about the situation here. While it's difficult to present a clear, data-based picture of what's happening throughout the country it appears (should be in italics) that the situation is worsening; at best it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Davao, where I live, escaped more stringent lockdowns until a couple of days ago when more severe measures were imposed. CdO, where a good friend of mine lives, is also heavily restricted (in theory), as is most of MetroManila. Some of the more rural areas in which I also have friends, appear to be restricting movements sporadically. That said, at least here in Davao, regardless of the "official" categorization, day-to-day life doesn't seem to change much. That is, stores are still open, bars are still closed, restaurants have limited capacity and are mostly empty to sparsely populated. Virtually everyone is masked all of the time, while driving (even alone in the car), walking, in retail establishments or anywhere else out in public. Given the dearth of people I've observed in the larger malls here, the closure of restaurants (including our own), and the number of "space available" signs throughout the city, I conclude that the economy is struggling, but I've seen nothing official from the city government. The official statistics from the Department of Labor and Employment stated last month that the unemployment rates is 4. 9% I do not find this to be a credible number.

According to the national government, about 15% of the population is fully vaccinated, though whether that's a percentage of the eligible population or to total population isn't clear to me. Davao continues to create widespread distribution networks for the vaccines from various countries and manufacturers, but the numbers seem obstinately stuck at about 15%.

Given the current limbo, and based on nothing but my own inferences, I doubt seriously that the country is going to open in any meaningful way to foreigners any time soon. On the other hand, the tourism sector is on life support, and the government may just take a "screw it" attitude and start to allow entry of the fully vaccinated from "green" countries; a list which does not at the moment, include the United States.

Given the transmissibility of the Delta variant, and because I'm a firm believer in actual science, I've been more or less self-isolating for the past 18 months. So, my sporadic forays into hte outside world—maybe once or twice a week to various local stores and malls—may not provide an adequate basis for generalization. For whatever it's worth, my view is that the situation here is fairly bleak, though the supply of women remains plentiful for those who can get here and are willing to run the risk of messing about, in intimate contact, with a population that's likely unvaccinated for the most part.

GE.

[Sam 14]

Westy, that little rant below was rather sarcastic but it was in no way meant as a jab at you. I super appreciate the guys like you, GE, Advan and others who are on the ground reporting. It's great to hear what's actually happening, and keeping this forum alive. If I had anything more useful to add, I'the chime in. Thanks man!

[Sam 14]

Should we have a separate thread? 'Covid Info', or such?...

Yes! Suggested thread title: CDC Public Relations".

Since there's not enough of it 24/7 everywhere else, we could have hot links to the latest CDC statistics, World Health Organization PR, and stuff like that. Links to deal with the “anti vaxers” and vaccine hesitancy problem. Hell, maybe we even could sell stock options. Or how about let Pfizer run pop up ads like these Stripchat things! Maybe even mandate a digital Health app to login so we don't have Petri dishes trolling the site. Haha.

I'm on a roll. . How bout even a competing thread, call it Tin Foil Chit Chat. All the conspiracy theorists and freedom freaks worried about wrecking their immune system, stronger variants escaping the immune system due to the shots, a looming scientific dictatorship, and stuff like that can congregate and propagate their misinformation. Share links to quacks like Robert F Kennedy's Children's Health Defense and the Great Barrington Declaration! Haha. Thanks Westy, love you man. By the way, happy Day The World Began Day! (911).

[Nice Guy 99]

Should we have a separate thread? 'Covid Info', or such?

That's a good idea.

[WestCoast1]

From the Phils Bureau of Immigration FB page, regarding tourists. It mentions the red list and the green list, but the only thing of interest here to note for us is a paragraph near the very bottom:

The general travel restrictions is still in effect. Only Filipinos, balikbayans, and foreigners with valid and existing visas are allowed to enter the Philippines, said Capulong. Those holding tourists visas remain restricted from entering, he clarified.

https://www.facebook.com/officialbur...9411965864166/

11 September 2021
PRESS RELEASE

Travelers from 9 countries included in Red List to be barred entry BI
Manila, PHILIPPINES Officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Saturday, the implementation of the temporary travel ban of passengers coming from 9 countries starting September 12.

The countries include Azerbaijan, Guadeloupe, Guam, Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Saint Lucia, and Switzerland.

In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that, following the recent directive from Malacaang, as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), passengers coming from, or who have been in the said countries within the last 14 days prior to their arrival to the Philippines, shall temporarily be barred entry.
Morente further said that passengers already in transit from the 9 countries who will arrive before the implementation of the travel ban may be allowed to enter, subject to existing policies of the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).

BI Port Operations Division Chief Atty. Carlos Capulong shared that Filipinos arriving from countries under the red list under government or non-government repatriation programs or bayanihan flights, may be allowed entry but shall undergo a strict 14-day facility based quarantine, and be required a Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test that will be monitored by the BOQ.

Capulong added that those who had a mere layover at the 9 countries are not covered by the travel ban.

The travel ban is set to take effect by 12:00 AM of September 12 until 11:59 PM of September 18, 2021.

Meanwhile, Capulong shared the countries under the green list as provided by the IATF. These include American Samoa, Anguilla, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gabon, Grenada, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), Hungary, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Poland, Saba, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Slovakia and Taiwan.
Capulong clarified that aliens coming from the green list do not automatically qualify for entry to the Philippines.

The general travel restrictions is still in effect. Only Filipinos, balikbayans, and foreigners with valid and existing visas are allowed to enter the Philippines, said Capulong. Those holding tourists visas remain restricted from entering, he clarified.

According to the BI advisory, countries not in the red or green list are automatically included in the yellow list. Those coming from the yellow list are likewise subject to the general travel restrictions, and will be have to undergo quarantine and testing protocols, as implemented by the BOQ.

#ProtectPHBorders
#BeatCOVID19
#WeHealAsOne
#BureauofImmigration
#ImmigrationHelplinePH

[WestCoast1]

Should we have a separate thread? 'Covid Info', or such?

Hotspots Tondo and Sampaloc. Pic is from: https://www.facebook.com/ManilaPIO.

[Albert9989]

Welcome. Albert, clear out your Inbox.

Thanks cleaning done.

[WestCoast1]

Thanks a lot westcoast for all these explanation on something which is very unclear.

In fact I posted this to get opinions of people here, and I was sure that you would clarify, so thanks to try to clarify all these very unclear info.

So I continue to wait.

Welcome. Albert, clear out your Inbox.

[Albert9989]

Thanks a lot westcoast for all these explanation on something which is very unclear.

In fact I posted this to get opinions of people here, and I was sure that you would clarify, so thanks to try to clarify all these very unclear info.

So I continue to wait.

[WestCoast1]

So for vaccinated people abroad, they are authorized to enter only if they stayed in the green countries for the past 14 days.

List of green countries:

GREEN list.

American Samoa Anguilla Australia.

Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon.

Cayman Islands Chad China.

Comoros Republic of the Congo Djibouti.

Equatorial Guinea Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Gabon.

Grenada.

Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China) Hungary.

Mali Federated States of MicronesiaMontserrat.

New Caledonia New Zealand Niger.

Northern Mariana Islands Palau Poland.

Saba Saint Pierre and Miquelon Sierra Leone.

Sint Eustatius Slovakia Taiwan.

I have seen this Green List. Does that mean mongers will need to stay in one of these before coming to Phils? Looks like Beavis, Screaming Beaver, Mdemde and I will not have much competition for a long time. Hong Kong / Taiwan -- must one simply traverse thru there, say, on Eva Airlines? Hungary is on the list?

As said before, this system of one Phils agency (Tourist Dept) putting out confusing information, along with the BI not being clear, is both not atypical, and maddening. Sorry fellas, I don't mean to continually throw cold water on it, but there are so many stinking holes to jump through (which change often). Imagine if thousands of gent book airline / hotel tickets next week, only to show up at their long flight airport to be turned away by EVA, KAL, or such as tourist season is not yet allowed. Or worse, they are not turned away at the check-in counter, but they are turned away at the Phils Immigration line at their arrival airport.

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Novel thought: Somebody call EVA or KAL (or a travel agent or PAL) and ask if you can purchase a ticket to Phils next week. Here's another idea, somebody call or mail the NCR Dept. Of Tourism:

WOODROW MAQUILING JR.

Regional Director, Department of Tourism-NCR.

Director, DOT-National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Office 2nd Flr The New DOT Bldg. , 351 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Makati City.

Tel. No. : (632) 459-5200 to 459-5230 Loc. (212 and 232).

Tourist Information Center Tel. No. : (632) 459-5200 to 5230 Loc. 102.

Centennial Tel. No. : (632) 887-1109 Loc. 2280.

NAIA Airport Tel. No. : (632) 832-2964/551-0698/551-2554.

NAIA Lobby Tel. No. : (632) 852-2191/852-1165.

Airport Fax No. : (632) 853-1687.

E-Mail: dotncr@tourism.gov.ph.

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Here's another: Phils DOT in Australia:

Ms. Eleanor Palima, Officer-in-Charge.

Australia.

Other areas of jurisdiction: New Zealand.

Suite 11.01, Level 11,92 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.

Work Phone: +61 2 9221 1344.

E-mail Address: info@morefuninthephilippines.com.au / ely@morefuninthephilippines.com.au.

Website: www.tourismphilippines.com.au.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines.anz.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/PhilippinesANZ.

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/DOTPhilippinesANZ.

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/Philippinesaunz.

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And for the Brits:

Mr. Gerard Panga, Tourism Attach.

UNITED KINGDOM.

Other areas of jurisdiction: Spain, Italy, Nordics, Ireland, Portugal, Turkey, Israel.

2nd Floor, 10 Suffolk Street, London SW1 why 4 HG, United Kingdom.

Ms. Katherine Alcantara, Tourism Officer.

Work Phone: +44 20 7321 0668.

Mobile Number: (44) 7478 676305.

Fax Number: +44 20 7925 2920.

E-mail Address: info@itsmorefuninthephilippine.co.uk / gerry@itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk / kat@itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk.

Website: www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk.

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And finally the USA (side note: the address here is on Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles; so is the Phils Consulate, quite possibly in the same building):

Mr. Richmond Patrick L. Jimenez, Tourism Attach.

LOS ANGELES, USA.

Other areas of jurisdiction: Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Nevada / Las Vegas, Southern California, New Mexico, Texas, Latin America.

3250 Wilshire Blvd. , Suite 707, LOS Angeles, California, 90010, USA.

Ms. Fay Lena Castro, Tourism Officer.

Work Phone: +1 213 487 4525.

Fax Number: +1 213 386 4063.

Email: richmond@philippinetourismla.org / fay@philippinetourismla.org.

Website: www.philippinetourismusa.com.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/philippinetourismusa.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/PHTourismUSA.

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/philippinetourismusa.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Phtourismusa.

[Albert9989]

Couple of thoughts. I read thru the various requirements for entry on that website (it seems to be a Phils DOT-related site). Yet, no change on the Phils BI website (still not showing any allowance for foreign tourists. Few things could be more confusing than this.

While the website you mentioned discusses MCQ / ECQ travel restrictions, I would remind everyone that these can change in a heartbeat. As an example, a few days ago I reported here that the NCR was going from MECQ (strict) to GCQ (less strict) the following day (as reported in major news outlets here). A few hours later that had changed, NCR was staying in MECQ for another week. Also, depending on then-current Covid numbers in the future, various locations can lock down unexpectedly.

The website speaks to inter-city or point-to-point travel requirements. These can also change overnight. Planning Manila and AC? Manila and Cebu? One city only?

Also when I searched 'Philippines Department of Tourism', I got 3 different websites. How can there be 3 websites for one agency?

http://tourism.gov.ph/general_information.aspx
https://beta.tourism.gov.ph/
http://www.experiencephilippines.org

If anyone gets more intel, please report here.

Yes, you are right, first time I try to get some intel by myself and clearly its a bit difficult to understand what they accept or not.

More than that, as every status can change in a minute for any region, going there one day where its open you have a very strong risk to be closed in an area without any possibility to get out.

But afterall, being closed there could also be not so bad. Depending of the availability to meet some chicks there.

But clearly still not enough stable for me.

One good point, is that when I chat with many girls there, I find more and more that are vaccinated twice, but its improving very slowly.

[Docwiltro]

Let's look at a simpler explanation of comparing the vaccinated vs. The unvaccinated. This graph is from the state of Indiana for this past year. I believe you would see a similar result no matter what population was examined. The bottom line is that these vaccines are extremely effective in preventing serious disease and death.

[WestCoast1]

More on hospitalizations and vaccines. Article from the CDC, of 43,000 cases in LOS Angeles County (see first pic):

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e5.htm

From the article:

During May 1July 25, 2021, among 43,127 SARS-CoV-2 infections in residents of Los Angeles County, California, 10,895 (25.3%) were in fully vaccinated persons, 1,431 (3.3%) were in partially vaccinated persons, and 30,801 (71.4%) were in unvaccinated persons. On July 25, infection and hospitalization rates among unvaccinated persons were 4.9 and 29.2 times, respectively, those in fully vaccinated persons. In July, when the Delta variant was predominant, cycle threshold values were similar for unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and vaccinated persons.

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Regarding vaccines vs natural Covid infection. Article from the CDC (second pic).

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...rotection.html

From the article:

The study of hundreds of Kentucky residents with previous infections through June 2021 found that those who were unvaccinated had 2.34 times the odds of reinfection compared with those who were fully vaccinated. The findings suggest that among people who have had COVID-19 previously, getting fully vaccinated provides additional protection against reinfection.

Additionally, a second publication from MMWR shows vaccines prevented COVID-19 related hospitalizations among the highest risk age groups. As cases, hospitalizations, and deaths rise, the data in todays MMWR reinforce that COVID-19 vaccines are the best way to prevent COVID-19.

[WestCoast1]

This is what is written in https://philippines.travel/safetrip.

Should we consider that entry is possible?

But only in the GCQ and MGCQ areas?

Couple of thoughts. I read thru the various requirements for entry on that website (it seems to be a Phils DOT-related site). Yet, no change on the Phils BI website (still not showing any allowance for foreign tourists. Few things could be more confusing than this.

While the website you mentioned discusses MCQ / ECQ travel restrictions, I would remind everyone that these can change in a heartbeat. As an example, a few days ago I reported here that the NCR was going from MECQ (strict) to GCQ (less strict) the following day (as reported in major news outlets here). A few hours later that had changed, NCR was staying in MECQ for another week. Also, depending on then-current Covid numbers in the future, various locations can lock down unexpectedly.

The website speaks to inter-city or point-to-point travel requirements. These can also change overnight. Planning Manila and AC? Manila and Cebu? One city only?

Also when I searched 'Philippines Department of Tourism', I got 3 different websites. How can there be 3 websites for one agency?

http://tourism.gov.ph/general_information.aspx
https://beta.tourism.gov.ph/
http://www.experiencephilippines.org

If anyone gets more intel, please report here.

[Albert9989]

This is what is written in https://philippines.travel/safetrip.

Should we consider that entry is possible?

But only in the GCQ and MGCQ areas?

This is the regulation for entries: https://iatf.doh.gov.ph/wp-content/u...-136-B-RRD.pdf.

Whereas, IATF Resolution No. 123-see (s. 2021) issued on 28 June 2021, superseded.

By IATF Resolution No. 128-A (s. 2021) provided for the governing guidelines of inbound.

International travel to any port of the Philippines of all individuals fully vaccinated in the.

Philippines regardless of travel history, and those vaccinated abroad who stayed exclusively in.

"Green" countries / jurisdictions in the past fourteen days immediately preceding arrival — with.

"Green" countries / jurisdictions being those classified by the Department of Health (DOH) as.

"Low Risk" countries based on a set incidence rate.

So for vaccinated people abroad, they are authorized to enter only if they stayed in the green countries for the past 14 days.

List of green countries:

GREEN list.

American Samoa Anguilla Australia.

Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon.

Cayman Islands Chad China.

1.

Comoros Republic of the Congo Djibouti.

Equatorial Guinea Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Gabon.

Grenada.

Hong Kong (Special.

Administrative Region of.

China) Hungary.

Mali Federated States of MicronesiaMontserrat.

New Caledonia New Zealand Niger.

Northern Mariana Islands Palau Poland.

Saba Saint Pierre and Miquelon Sierra Leone.

Sint Eustatius Slovakia Taiwan.