Filling out the Electronic Arrival Card (eArrival Card) will no longer be mandatory as a prerequisite to boarding, Malacañang said, adding that lanes will be set up at the country’s gateways for those complying with the government requirement.

“Hindi na ito mandatory; lanes will be set up in airports for this system,” Office of the Press Secretary Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Cheloy Valecaria-Garafil said.

The Marcos administration will implement the eArrival Card scan-and-go system in the country’s airports to ensure ease of travel for incoming travelers and, at the same time, protect the public from COVID-19.

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier announced that starting November 1 this year, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) will require all inbound travelers to have an e-Arrival Card within 72 hours prior to their departure from their country of origin.

During a press briefing, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said it was approved during the Cabinet meeting that filling out of e-Arrival Card would not be made mandatory as a prerequisite to boarding.

It means travelers can fill out the e-Arrival Card at their own convenience – prior to departure or upon arrival.

According to Frasco, special lanes will be set up by the DOH in coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine for those who have not had the opportunity to fill out the e-Arrival Card.

“The overarching direction of the Marcos administration is to allow our country to convey an openness and a readiness to the world to receive tourists and investments so that we would give our fellow Filipinos an opportunity to regain all the livelihood and losses that were incurred during the pandemic,” she said.

The tourism chief expressed optimism that the lifting of all of the restrictions by the Marcos administration would redound to the benefit of millions of Filipinos with the reinvigoration of the tourism industry. #