Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Monday foreign parents of Filipinos who have valid visas and are traveling with them could enter the Philippines.
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) gave the exemption last week.
“If they are traveling alone, they will not be allowed entry even if they hold valid visas as the rules provide that they must be traveling with their Philippine spouse or children,” Morente said.
The previous policy stated that only foreign spouses and children of Filipinos who are traveling with them and who hold valid visas were exempted from the travel ban which the government had imposed on all foreign nationals from March 22 to April 21 to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The IATF said foreign seafarers arriving via the seaports could also enter the Philippines so long as they, too, possess the required seaman’s visa or crew list visa.
“We welcome the exemption of foreign seafarers from the travel ban as the Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that has opened a ‘green lane’ for these sailors,” Morente said.
Foreign parents of Filipinos with valid visas can enter PH – BI
Last month, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the Philippines is emerging as a major hub of crew change for international sea vessels as it reported that it processed and cleared last year more than 112,000 seafarers who joined or left their ships.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the bureau fully supports the government in pursuing its goal to make the Philippines a major international hub for crew change of maritime vessels.
Morente said immigration officers have been deployed to six ports which have been designated as crew change hubs. These are located in Manila, Bataan, Batangas, Subic, Cebu, and Davao.
“We also welcome the DOTr’s move to establish one-stop shops in these ports which would facilitate crew changes,” the BI chief said, adding that the bureau recognizes the contribution of seafarers to the Philippine economy.