THE Department of Tourism (DOT) in Eastern Visayas has lauded the local government units (LGUs) for their swift response on the agency’s repatriation efforts for stranded foreign nationals and tourists in the region in the midst of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
“The LGUs have been our perfect partners in this operation. Given the border entry restrictions, we ask their permissions to allow exit and entry in their respective areas. For as long as we are able to provide them with the required travel details and documents, they immediately act on our requests,” said Karen Tiopes, DOT regional director.
Tiopes said that as of Saturday, April 11, they continue to receive requests for repatriation assistance from different embassies in the country.
“The embassies are still organizing sweeper flights and repatriation flights. Sweeper flights are deployed to certain pick-up points in the country. For the Visayas cluster, there are in Cebu, Bohol, Iloilo, and Bacolod,” Tiopes told SunStar Philippines.
According to Tiopes, the bulk of the stranded nationals are located in the said key places.
In Eastern Visayas, however, the tourism office is faced with the challenge of finding ways to bring the stranded tourists to the pick-up points.
“DOT no longer organizes sweeper flights but we still assist and find way to bring the stranded tourists to the airports,” said Tiopes.
She acknowledged the support of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap), Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“We also have to thank our tourist transport operators who agree, even on short notice, to provide land transport service to ferry these tourists from where they are in Eastern Visayas to the airport or seaport as the case may be,” said Tiopes.
In repatriating the foreign visitors, Tiopes said the embassies work closely with the DFA and DOT.
“Others also go directly to the LGUs where these tourists are stranded, as the case of the Germans who were in Southern Leyte,” she said.
On Friday, the DOT in the region also moved 13 Europeans to Hilongos, Leyte, where they took a boat ride to Bohol for their sweeper and repatriation flights on Saturday, April 11.
Tiopes thanked Maasin City Mayor Nacional Mercado for his “big help” in repatriating the tourists.
She said Mercado himself volunteered to go and see Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado to get a permit for the DOT personnel to pick up the stranded Europeans in the province and bring them to Hilongos.
“Mayor Mercado also helped out get the approval of Bohol Governor Arthur Yap to allow four stranded Germans to enter Bohol early this week,” Tiopes said.
“The sweeper and repatriation flights are paid for by the stranded tourists. That is why, whenever we are asked to bring them to pick-up points, we have to make sure that they all have received a notification from their embassy regarding confirmed booking on the sweeper and repatriation flights,” the tourism official said.
Meanwhile, Tiopes said the locals have to understand that Filipinos are not exempted from the travel restrictions imposed by the enhanced community quarantine (EQC).
“Only foreign nationals, balikbayans holding foreign visa and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are exempted. And they even need to show proper documents like confirmed onward bookings to their home countries, quarantine certifications for the LGU where they were stranded,” she said.
In Maasin City, Mercado also clarified on why he allowed the landing of a private plane at the Panan-awan Airport on April 10, saying he received a formal request from the pilot who was tasked by the US Embassy to fetch an American citizen who was in the city.
“It is part of the repatriation program of the US to provide sweeper planes to fetch all American citizens from all parts of the Philippines and bring them to Manila to catch the flight for the US,” said Mercado, as he dispelled the misinformation on social media surrounding the said private plane landing in the city.
“Thus, we gave them a go signal to land the private plane in our Panan-awan Airport so that he can go back to Manila. Before landing in Maasin, the private plane had a stop-over in Bacolod City to refuel since we do not have any refueling station for planes,” the mayor said.
According to Mercado, the American national already flew to the US on Friday evening.
“Please stop spreading malicious misinformation causing panic and anger to the Maasinhons. In this time of crisis, we must work hand in hand to maintain peace and order in our city,” said Mercado, while he appealed to the public to always verify with the proper authorities in order to know the facts on any issues in the city.
The Tourism Association of Southern Leyte (TASL) also acknowledged Mercado and other local and provincial officials in Southern Leyte and in Bohol for the repatriation of four stranded German nationals in Southern Leyte.
The group said that Mercado, along with Maasin’s city tourism office, regional tourism office, Southern Leyte provincial officials, and the German Embassy, had “put the mammoth task together.”
“Thank you to those on the other end, who escorted the four from Ubay to the Panglao Airport through all the checkpoints there. They were in turn brought to Manila on a sweeper flight, and from there back to Germany. This is Filipino hospitality at its finest,” TASL said in a statement. (SunStar Philippines)