Travel authority still required in cross-border trips — PNP

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) — People still need a travel authority when travelling outside of their provinces or regions for non-work-related trips, Joint Task Force COVID Shield Commander PLt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has clarified.

This is the remaining restriction on travel under more relaxed community quarantine rules now in place although police checkpoints are being conducted at random, Eleazar said.

“Lilinawin natin sa mga cross border, kailangan pa rin natin ng travel authority kung hindi ka authorized person outside residence at ang travel mo ay hindi work-related,” he said in a CNN Philippines interview on Thursday.

[Translation: We are clarifying that travel authority is still needed in cross border travel if you are not an authorized person outside residence and your travel in not work-related.

Eleazar said this is a common violation.

“’yun yung violation na nakikita natin kaya nga po dine-deny natin ‘ying passage nila even though hindi natin sila mache-check through the random checking eh talaga pong pwedeng ma-tsambahan.”

[Translation: That is the violation that we see that is why we deny their passage even though we cannot check them through our random checkpoint. It can really slip.]

According to Eleazar, a medical clearance will be required for a travel authority, which can be acquired at the health office of local government units.

“Kung mayroon tayong quarantine control points diyan, ‘yan po ay random checking na lang. Hindi natin pwedeng gawin yung sa ECQ na lahat ng sasakyan, pinapara.”

[Translation: If we have quarantine control points there, only random checking will be done. We cannot do what we used to during ECQ wherein we check all the vehicles passing by.]

Eleazar added that checking the vehicles one by one at checkpoints will defeat the purpose of reopening the economy, yet emphasized that the public should be ready with their documents once their vehicle passes a checkpoint.