BI implements lifting of travel ban for HK and Macau OFWs, students, residents

February 18, 2020

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente announced Tuesday that they have implemented the lifting of the travel ban for Filipino overseas workers, students, and permanent residents bound for Hong Kong and Macau.

“The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infections Diseases (EID) has recommended the lifting of the departure travel ban for Filipino overseas workers, student visa holders, and permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau,” said Morente.  “This is a welcome development for our kababayan who wish to return to their work abroad,” he added.

The lifting, according to Morente, covers all Filipino nationals who are holders of working visas, student visas, and permanent resident visas both in Hong Kong and Macau.  “They may be now allowed to depart to Hong Kong and Macau,” said Morente. “However, the ban on Filipinos going to both countries as tourists is still in effect,”

Morente said the lifting is an expansion of an earlier directive allowing members of the diplomatic corps to enter the country from the said countries.  This now allows the entry of Filipino nationals including their foreign spouse and children.

Meanwhile, BI clarified their role in implementing the travel ban.  The clarification stemmed from a complaint on social media about an overseas Filipino worker based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who was not allowed to return to the UAE, having been to Taiwan six days prior to departure.

It can be recalled that Taiwan was previously included in the travel ban imposed by the government, a ban which was eventually lifted last February 14.

According to Morente, Section 3 of the February 2, 2020 directive on the travel ban of President Rodrigo Duterte specifically states that a mandatory fourteen-day quarantine for Filipinos and Permanent Resident visa holders coming from any place in China and its Special Administrative Regions is required.

“While it is the Bureau of Quarantine who implements this measure, it is the BI who can detect who fall under this category and is duty-bound to implement the directive to the letter,” he clarified.

Morente appealed to the public to bear with the government as the travel ban is implemented. 

“This is a measure best seen by the EID and the government to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19,” said Morente.  “This is a temporary measure, and we are all praying that this virus be controlled soon for everyone’s health and safety,” he added. DMS