MANILA, Philippines — Getting travel authority (TA) and travel pass-through permit (TPP) will soon be available online so that going to police stations to secure these travel documents will no longer be required, the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield said Tuesday.
“Health experts said that we will have to live with the COVID-19 for a long time, which means that the requirement for Travel Authority or a Travel Pass-through Permit would be inevitable depending on the situations in the LGU-destinations,” noted Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of JTF COVID Shield, in a statement.
“Securing these travel documents through an online platform would be fast and comfortable for our kababayans, and would be in support of the decision of the national government, through the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), to ease the travel restrictions as part of the effort to revive our economy,” he also said.
According to Eleazar, JTF COVID Shield is currently working with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to develop the online platform called S-Pass or Safe, Swift and Smart Passage wherein it will inform the public about travel protocols of local government units (LGUs) as well as secure a copy of TA and TPP.
Once the website is available, non-Authorized Personnel Outside of Residences (APOR) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) could apply for TA and TPP by answering online forms. The travel documents can be easily printed and saved in their gadgets, which will then be presented to police officers guarding border control checkpoints.
Difference between TA, TPP
To get a TA, Eleazar said applicants should first secure a medical clearance certificate from the city government or the city municipal health office.
TA is required for non-APORs and LSIs going to LGU destinations with strict quarantine protocols, he added.
“The moment an application for Travel Authority is made from the LGU of origin, it will already inform the LGU destination of the arrival of the non-APORs, including LSIs. This will serve as prior coordination between the LGU of origin and the LGU destination and eventually became the basis of the feedback to the applicant,” he explained.
As for TPP, Eleazar said it is only applicable for areas under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine, and that it is not allowed for areas under stricter coronavirus lockdowns such as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
However, Eleazar said there will be no documents required to be able to secure a TPP, which will be used if the non-APOR and LSIs will pass through LGUs with a restricted protocol for travelers.
Non-APORs and LSIs do not need a TPP if the LGUs only require TA, he also said.
“If the non-APORs, including LSIs, would go to an LGU requiring a Travel Authority, they no longer have to obtain a TPP since the Travel Authority alone is enough document to pass all the checkpoints in every LGUs,” he explained.
For those included in the APOR list as well as those with work and emergency travel, Eleazar said that only valid IDs, certificate of employment and other proof of emergency travel is required when moving to another LGU.