Davao City – On the first day of implementing the law on mandatory RT-PCR test before travel to Davao City, 60 percent of around 300 arriving passengers at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport presented valid test results.
City Tourism Operations Office and Davao City Airport Health Monitoring Team Head Gene Rose Tecson said 60 percent or 200 passengers of the 320 passengers presented their RT-PCR results in compliance to the city ordinance.
Tecson said 16 presented invalid RT-PCR results or those that are beyond the 72-hour validity and one (1) was intercepted for presenting a tampered result. The said passenger will be facing appropriate charges.
Tecson said the city government will strictly implement the Davao City Ordinance No. 0477-21, “An Ordinance Providing for Mandatory Testing Prior to Entry into Davao City via the Davao International Airport”.
Tecson said its implementation is the best line of defense for the city’s fights against Covid-19 and all its variants, especially those Covid-19 cases are surging again.
Tecson said that with the cases in Davao City going down, the entry of people from different Luzon and Visayas needs to be controlled.
“Merong surge yung Manila and Cebu so this is our best line of defense lalo na po ngayon na mababa na yung mga positive cases here in Davao City,” she said.
Tecson hoped that people will understand as this is one way for the city to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Tecson said that requiring a mandatory test before travelling to Davao City was requested by the city government for the concurrence of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“We really insisted na we want them tested so hindi sila makalabas sa airport until tested sila,” Tecson said.
The requirement also prevents the mixing of passengers positive with coronavirus and not tested travel with those with valid negative RT-PCR.
However, Tecson said some passengers who do not have their results with them would still be accepted and tested at the airport at their own expense. The cost of RT-PCR testing is P4, 500.
Tecson said Davao City is not the only local government unit that required a negative RT-PCR test before entry but also other areas to include Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, and Negros.
Under the new ordinance, all Davao City-bound passengers will have to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours before their scheduled flights.
Section 3 of the Ordinance No. 0477-21, signed by Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte on March 2, mandates that those who present a false or tampered COVID-19 RT-PCR test result shall be required to undergo an RT-PCR test and shall remain at a government-sanctioned quarantine facility until issuance of a negative test result and their release from custody by the proper law enforcement agency.
Those who leave the waiting area or quarantine facility without proper authorization, and those who assist them, will each be fined P5, 000.
An ordinance violation receipt or citation ticket, which shall state the name, address, and violation committed, will be issued to the violators. The Philippine National Police (PNP) or other enforcers commissioned by the City Mayor shall have the power to apprehend the violators.
(City Information Office | Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)