MANILA, Philippines — The government has agreed to implement a rapid pass system to facilitate the transport of essential goods during the Luzon-wide quarantine, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.
In a televised address on Friday evening, Nograles said the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Science and Technology would chair the technical working group to develop the accreditation and authentication guidelines for the system.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases also directed the Bureau of Customs and other government regulators, as well as importers, consignees, truckers and shipping lines, to address the disruptions to the supply chain.
They should withdraw immediately all refrigerated containers as well as all dry vans, and port operators should release these expeditiously, he added.
He also said establishments involved in the production, manufacturing, packaging, processing and distribution of food may operate at a maximum of 50 percent of their respective workforces, unless the supply level of a basic food product warrants a higher capacity.
If a higher capacity is needed, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is authorized to approve the increase of workforce capacity temporarily, he added.
Unimpeded movement
He also said law enforcement agencies and local government units were ordered to allow the unimpeded movement of food supply-chain workers to and from their places of work, subject to existing identification requirements.
But the government is encouraging companies to provide on-site lodgings for its workers, he said.
At the start of the Luzon-wide quarantine, government officials have said that cargoes should be able to move freely to ensure the availability of essential goods in markets.
The North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway said operations would continue to allow the crucial movement of essential supplies and medical workers needed in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The DTI emphasized that the movement of all food and nonfood cargoes within, to and from Luzon should be unhampered.
“As a key public service company, we are called to ensure service continuity,” NLEx Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista said in a statement.
“The expressways are key components of Luzon’s supply chain and we have adjusted our daily operations following the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force,” he added.
Priority
This was welcomed by industry groups such as the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines and Santiago Cargo Movers Inc.
NLEx Corp. said it coordinates daily operations with the Joint Task Force CV Shield led by the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of Health.
Priority is given to cargo trucks delivering basic commodities and the Department of Transportation’s free bus rides for health workers.
NLEx emergency response teams, patrol crews and security teams are all in place. Moreover, necessary safety measures such as the disinfection of workstations, strictly requiring personal protective equipment and social distancing for their front-liners are observed, the company said.
“NLEx Corp. remains committed to supporting the program to contain the spread of COVID-19,” Bautista said.