Puyat visit in Bohol with 6-yr-old Scarlet Snow complies with health protocols — DOT
MANILA, Philippines — The visit of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and six-year-old Scarlet Snow in Bohol in June is part of a campaign to boost local tourism and was compliant with health protocols, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Tuesday.
The DOT issued the statement after a watchdog group Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment filed a case against Puyat for supposedly violating protocols during her visit to the province together with Scarlet Snow, daughter of celebrity doctors Vicky Belo and Hayden Kho.
“The visit of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat and Scarlet Snow Belo is part of a campaign to inspire Filipinos to travel locally and safely in order to boost domestic tourism recovery, restore livelihood and help alleviate the plight of millions of tourism workers who continue to be displaced by the on-going pandemic,” the department said.
“The said campaign was made consistent with current protocols and properly coordinated with the local government units,” it added.
The DOT also cited Resolution No. 118A of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases dated May 31 which allowed point-to-point travel for travelers coming from the NCR Plus.
“Also under Resolution 118A, those ages below 18 and above 65 years old are now permitted to travel for leisure provided that they undergo RT-PCR test before travel. The very same requirement still applies to travelers that fall within the 18 to 65 age group, if so required by the local government unit of the destination,” said the agency.
“The Secretary wishes to assure the public that everyone in the visit underwent RT-PCR testing and complied with all the travel requirements of the host province,” DOT added.
