 |
| Thousands of people rushed to NAIA on Mar 15, as the lockdown of Metro Manila started |
After a day of flip-flopping on new travel restrictions
which resulted in dozens of Filipinos not being able to board their flights
this morning, Mar 17, Philippine government officials announced this afternoon
that those who want to fly out have until Mar 20 to do so.
This comes as the government started implementing price
controls on medicines and food supplies in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s
declaration of a state of calamity in the entire country as part of efforts to
contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.
As of today, the total confirmed Covid-19 cases in the
country had risen to 187, with 45 new cases reported.
Duterte signed Proclamation 929 on Monday, which placed the Philippines
He also expanded the community quarantine of Metro Manila to
include all of Luzon , which meant all
residents staying at home, with just one member being allowed to buy food and
other necessities.
Most offices have been closed, as well as malls, while the
entire region hunkers down amid fears the spread of the deadly disease is just
about to peak.
All public transportation have been halted immediately,
while flights in and out of the metropolis will continue only until the first
hours of Thursday, Mar. 20. By then, all airports in Luzon, including NAIA and Clark International
Airport
Despite a presidential directive that clearly spelled out a
72-hour window for all travelers wishing to depart the Philippines
They included several overseas Filipino workers and residents
who were not allowed to take their Hong Kong Airlines flight at 6:50am, in the
wake of confusion over the effective date of the travel ban.
 |
| Filipinos aboard Cathay Pacific's two flights to HK were able to leave |
The mess followed the issuance of an advisory by the
Department of Transportation close to midnight last night, that said all
Filipinos would not be allowed to fly out of the country starting today,
instead of Thursday.
 |
| Call us now! |
Among those who were unable to take the HKA’s only daily
flight from Manila was Joanne, who along with
about 20 family members had rushed to the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport
She said she saw all Filipino passengers being turned away
at the immigration counters, until airline staff halted the issuance of
boarding passes to them altogether after consulting with immigration officers.
“Apparently the Facebook post of DOTr on Mar 16, 11:25pm was
the basis of their directives which we didn’t know of until we learned it from
the airline ground staff,” said Joanne.
All the Filipino passengers left the airport, confused between what they heard from the President’s speech and what the DOTr had posted on Facebook. To compound the problem, they all faced a problem going back home because no public transportation was available.
What made the experience even more difficult to take for the
HKA passengers was the realization that Filipinos who took flights to Hong Kong aboard other airlines were able to leave
without a problem.
These included two direct Cathay Pacific flights, and one Eva
Air flight that stopped over in Taipei , before
heading to Hong Kong .
In Joanne’s case, the failure to take the flight also meant
her daughter missing out on taking a crucial exam, while she and the rest of
her family scramble to book seats on Hong Kong-bound flights that last time she
checked, are already full until Mar 19.
And, even if they do get on a flight to Hong
Kong on the 19th, it would mean another problem,
because that is when the city they call home will start enforcing a 14-day home quarantine for all passengers arriving
from overseas.
---
I-try mo ito, Kabayan: Kung interesado kang ma-contact ang mga advertiser namin dito, pindutin lang ang kanilang ad, at lalabas ang auto-dialer o kanilang website. Pindutin ulit and auto diaoer upang tumawag. Hindi na kailangang pindutin isa-isa ang mga numero.
 |
| Call now! |
