DOT resumes 50% swab test subsidy for qualified domestic tourists

Coron in Palawan is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines. It is under modified general community quarantine or MGCQ for the whole month of June 2021. Photo by Katherine G. Adraneda/INQUIRER.net Files

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT) will once again shoulder 50 percent of the cost of swab tests for qualified domestic tourists.

This, as the agency announced Wednesday it is resuming its program since the national government already approved leisure travel for persons of all ages between the so-called NCR Plus bubble and areas under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the program, implemented through DOT’s marketing and promotions arm Tourism Promotions Board, is seen to further help bring the tourism industry back on its feet.

READ: IATF allows NCR Plus travelers to MGCQ areas for tourism purposes – DOT chief

“The subsidy aims to encourage domestic travel by aiding the tourists in fulfilling the RT-PCR test requirement, and to enable them to visit their destination of choice at a lesser cost,” Puyat said in a statement.

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DOT said those who meet the basic requirements of having confirmed round trip transportation tickets and booking confirmation with a DOT-accredited accommodation establishment would be qualified for the program.

Those who qualify could have themselves tested at Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) in Quezon City, it added.

DOT said it provided PGH P9.9 million and PCMC P8.70 million since January this year to subsidize swab tests for 22,711 domestic travelers.

READ: DOT subsidizing 11,600 swab tests for local tourists at PCMC

DOT, PGH, and PCMC are set to sign another agreement for the granting of swab test subsidies to some 13,333 local tourists from July to December.

“We at the DOT are doing whatever we can to help the industry and its stakeholders recoup their losses and ensure security and sustainability amid this pandemic,” Romulo-Puyat said.

Local travelers who wish to avail of DOT’s 50 percent swab test subsidy may visit this link: https://www.tpb.gov.ph/rtpcrphtravel/.

The program was suspended when NCR Plus was reverted to the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in late March. The NCR Plus consists of Metro Manila and adjacent provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

KGA