Entry of Vaccinated Foreigners thorough the Green Lane: An Update
If you are a fully vaccinated foreigner coming from one of the "Green" countries (defined based on cumulative infection over the past 28 days and its trend), you can now enter Philippines but will be quarantined for 7 days. On day 5, an RT-PCR test will be conducted. If negative, you are free to leave quarantine on Day 7.
[URL]https://iatf.doh.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210628-IATF-RESOLUTION-123-C-RRD.pdf[/URL]
How will they verify your vaccination status? You need to carry an International Certificate of Vaccination (I have not seen one for Covid) or be validated by one of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (they are in 13 location, worldwide). Good luck with either of that!
You must have been in the "Green" country for the past 14 days before arrival. None of the European countries or US is on the "Green" List. China, Hong Kong, S. Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Singapore, Taiwan are among the countries on the Green list. The full list is available at:
[URL]https://iatf.doh.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210630-IATF-RESOLUTION-124-A-RRD.pdf[/URL]
For a decent commentary on this policy, see:
[URL]https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/05/2110218/green-countries-or-not[/URL]
In my opinion, this is a good start. But it is too onerous to be of much value. And of course, the list excludes most of the world's population who can actually travel and help Philippines' sulking "tourism" industry.
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A simplified vaccination verification process for entry into the Philippines
Philippine's Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) just announced that returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) can get their foreign country vaccination verified online.
[URL]https://www.rappler.com/nation/dole-says-returning-overseas-filipinos-need-covid-19-vaccination-cards-validated[/URL]
The online form.
[URL]https://www.onehealthpass.com.ph/e-HDC/[/URL]
Is clearly designed for vaccine verification for foreigners also. But the DOLE announcement says nothing (yet) about verification for foreigners. I expect that this process will be soon extended to foreigners. This will certainly remove uncertainty about the acceptance of vaccination cards after arriving in the Philippines. The online form seeks all the details about vaccination and asks to upload your vaccination certificate as well as Passport bio page (see enclosed image). The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) will then make advance determination, before you fly or even buy your ticket.
Bottom line: OFWs are first to try this process. Then this will be extended to foreigners, hopefully. Of course, applicable to only people from Green countries (a set of countries that does not yet include Americans or Europeans).
Other places in the Philippines?
New to this site, but have been in the Philippines for a while now. Most of my bar experience has been in Cebu (Mango and Lapu2) and Davao, with a few stops in the provinces in Mindanao. Am I missing out by not taking a trip to Manila or Angeles? I just got my 2nd dose of Pfizer in Davao (where I currently live) and am thinking about vacationing. I figure now might be a decent time to check those places out considering it is likely much less crowded. Does anyone know if bars are operating in those areas? Any help / advice in this area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Just My Thoughts on the Way Ahead Post COVID
All,
A year ago it seemed that the world was ending, and in many ways the way things used to be have. But believe it or not things are starting to turn around, and for the fellow Lurkers and Mongers' on the PI forum as well as the others we can now look forward to trips back to the PI again, if not tomorrow but a lot closer than we would have thought back in July 2020. That being said, here are a few of my just random thoughts I see based on what I've been reading.
1. The age of online trolling will slow down. I like many have been keeping busy just biding my time on the various sites like Tagged, Meet Me, Skout, etc. Meeting the random woman on these sites maybe giving a gift or two and getting the obligatory nude photo or video. Seen many scams out there, one picture on the profile, and once the "gift" is given something completely different gets delivered and that's just part of the game. I've learned that the moment you get an immediate request for a "castle" or "jet" I know what I'm dealing with. However the ones that have learned to play the long game may get an extra gift now and then. I bring this up because recently I've seen an uptick for immediate requests, since the advent of vaccines and some countries allowing folks to travel, I sense the providers are starting to realize that the days of their being in control are about to end. Imagine walking into a bar full of women, and one immediately comes up and asks for a "gift" and one bides her time and waits for you to sit down and take it easy. Which one would you go for? Women realize this since online it's a sellers market, but now with guys (me included) reducing time online, saving those extra bucks for a trip providers are starting to realize a return to the old days is coming.
2. Old locations, new paint. Maybe the travel shut downs will have a silver lining. Most of you have to admit that some of the oft frequented places where Lurkers would gather were rather dumps and I doubt seriously if they would pass any fire / life safety checks provided the inspector wasn't tipped enough. From Angeles, to Subic to heck even the much known Orchard Towers in Singapore, those buildings were dumps. Kind of hard to "close for remodeling" sometimes when you have people coming every night and if you are closed you will lose out to competition. Maybe some of the old places may go by the way side, but hopefully new ones will come up in their stead. One can only shop at so many places, and there is a limit on "high end" stores that can be built in areas where folks barely have enough to buy the necessities of life, so I expect the old locations with maybe a new owner and layer of paint will open back up.
3. Slow road to recovery. If you pay attention to the US Labor reports, you see there are more jobs than employees, and many site the Federal Government beefing up some states Unemployment benefits, making it a smarter deal to stay unemployed (depending on the job you do) and get an extra $300-$400 to their unemployment, and I would probably do the same. Same thing you can see now. Places are starting to open, countries where many of the Lurkers come from and have a little extra Euros / Dollars, etc to spend may find some ways to get back, but not the full stream as before. Thus you see the increased demands from women online asking for gifts up front (see my #1 thoughts). But once the travel spigot is turned open full, follow the money. Providers now don't have to "give it up" to get money now, but let them try that in places like Angeles or Manila when they are at home online and their neighbor is at the local bar picking up Lurkers. Pretty soon the online ones will shift back to in person.
4. Local Government will welcome Lurker business back. You can read the news and say that the Lurker business is bad for morality, but those same ones will be there with their hands out to the owners asking for their cut of the revenue. Also, those side business will be more welcoming. Can't go and buy late night breakfast with you and two women online, but you can if you are in a bar stumbling out and heading towards to late night snack before back to the hotel. Same thing as taking them to buy some "jewelry" or what ever one buys, as well as the myriad of jeepney drivers ready to take you back. Those side business can't make any money with the game all online. Unless the local politician has an internet cafe that he charges the girls to sit at, when more people start returning in person the more the money will flow more to all.
Rather long, but those are just my thoughts as I see them Whether in the PI, Singapore, Thailand, etc. One form or another I think that is how things will play out in the near future.
