UNIFIED QUARANTINE PASS. A resident in Iloilo province shows her quarantine pass that will allow a member of her family to go out and access basic needs during the enhanced community quarantine. The Iloilo provincial government will release on Thursday (March 26, 2020) a unified quarantine pass that can be used in inter-municipal travel. (PNA Photo by Gail Momblan)
ILOILO CITY – The 42 towns and one component city of Iloilo province settled for a single format of quarantine pass to enable smooth mobility of workers and residents accessing basic needs during the enhanced community quarantine.
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. convened the local chief executives on Monday afternoon after receiving reports that the local government units are imposing different strategies on the use of quarantine pass.
San Enrique Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Iloilo president, said in an interview Tuesday the different implementation of quarantine pass in towns causes confusion.
“People are confused about inter-municipal travel because the quarantine pass used in other municipality varies from the other,” she said.
The unified format of the quarantine pass will be released by the provincial government on Thursday.
The new quarantine pass format reflects the name and address of the holder, signifies that he or she is not a person under monitoring or person under investigation for Covid-19, and is designated by his or her household to travel based on the Executive Order 80 or an “order enforcing an enhanced community quarantine over the entire province of Iloilo.”
Fernandez said the quarantine pass covers the purposes of the holder to buy and replenish the basic supplies of his or her household; access healthcare needs; and to travel to work or business allowed under the order of the governor.
“The unified quarantine pass is accepted in the villages and towns in the province,” she said.
Also, she said Defensor will talk to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas to allow the use of quarantine pass when people from the province enter the city for work.
The provincial government will still allow the use of the existing quarantine pass regulations that were earlier issued in the municipalities through the discretion of its respective local chief executives.
For instance, some municipalities grant different quarantine pass for businessmen, employees, and residents accessing basic needs.
“That will still be used but for inter-municipal travel, the unified quarantine pass shall be used,” she said. (PNA)
