MANILA – The Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved the entry to the country of Filipinos’ foreign spouses and children starting Dec. 7.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the IATF-EID “allowed the entry to the Philippines of Filipino citizens’ foreign spouses and children, regardless of age, who are traveling with them.”
Roque added that the national COVID-19 task force also allowed the “entry of former Filipino citizens, including their spouses and children, regardless of age, who are traveling with them.”
“The travelers are allowed visa-free entry and required to pre-book a quarantine facility and COVID-19 test at an airport laboratory,” Roque said. “They, too, must be subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port and date of entry.”
The Palace spokesperson also noted that the IATF-EID has directed the immigration bureau to “ensure the smooth implementation of this policy” and the tourism department to “issue the necessary guidelines.”
“The foregoing is without prejudice to immigration laws, rules and regulations such that the Commissioner of Immigration shall have the exclusive prerogative to decide on waiver or recall of exclusion orders for the above foreign nationals, including other foreign nationals who have entered the Philippines by virtue of Inter-Agency Task Force resolutions,” Roque said.
The government earlier permitted foreign children with special needs of Filipinos, foreign parents of minor Filipinos and foreign parents of Filipino children with special needs to enter the country.
Accredited foreign government and international organization officials and their dependents, foreign airline crew members, foreign seafarers with appropriate visas, foreigners with long-term and investor visas are also allowed./PN
