New Normal process in Philippine Terminals

Steps in getting into New Normal process in Philippine Terminals

BY: â’¶ Parker â–’ TRAVEL FROM SAUDI ARABIA TO PHILIPPINES â–’ VACATION

As part of pandemic issues in the Philippines, or even in other countries, they now requiring some forms for Health Declaration and some forms related to being OFW (that has been distributed during flight) before entering the NAIA Terminal.

Upon getting into the Terminal, we need to present all forms we filled up steps by steps, and as follows:

1. Health Declaration Card (Yellow card)

First step upon entering the terminal. There will be volunteer nurses to assist and ask for your heath related concerns such as:

Are you taking up maintenance medications?

Are you feeling sick, with cough or sneeze this past 7 days?

Do you have your vaccine? Complete dose or not?

Those questions may not be same as time goes by, maybe we can consider it as a general questions to partially declare our condition.

You will be requested to put letter “L” on the top left most of the form for identification of “Land-Based OFW” and you should identify the Street/Barangay name in your address and a reliable contact number as they were very strict for that information. After declaration, you will be requested to remove your face shield and eyeglasses (if have) as you will pass the thermal scanner.

2. Bureau of Immigration Arrival Card (red/white card)

After health declaration and pass through the thermal scanner, be directed to go with Immigration. Together with your passport, give the Arrival Card (as per right-side picture) for their reference. They will capture a picture of you and wait for their instruction to proceed.

3. Balik-Pinas Arrival Orientation

After Immigration stage, a less than 5-minutes orientation about Balik-Pinas procedure will be discussed. They were just informing about the new normal process that each OFW or returning Filipinos is needed to undergo mandatory 10-days quarantine (even you are vaccinated) in the hotels provided by the Government. Aside from that, they require everyone to register in balikpinas.ph, and it will generate QR Code that will be presented with the person will do the swab test on your 7th day.

4. Claiming baggage

Of course, after orientation, you should claim your luggage / baggage in the conveyor. Make sure that you take your own, and make sure that the condition of the baggage stills the same as how you check in it. If there will be problem, you can report it on the guards rounding the area.

5. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Project Care Slip (White)

Another form was given during the flight but was not claimed in any of the stages in the terminal, below picture. Maybe this is intended only for those passengers with products in their luggage that is more than for their personal use, or even for selling purposes. This form was called the custom baggage declaration. 

Last step was for the submission of form to OWWA Desk Center and they will verify your input data on the form. After it, they will give you leaflet telling what place of your facility was. Mine was around Osmena Building, Osmena Street, Sta Ana Manila. They will also give you packed lunch and bottled water since we landed almost lunch time, and we all starving with hunger.

After OWWA, they will guide you now on your bus service heading to your hotel facility destination. It’s free, and considering the social distancing among passengers. They were selling there SIM cards for all networks for 100 pesos and also for the plug adaptors with the same price. Along the way, someone rides the bus and she is a walking money changer. She has 12SAR rate for every 1PHP, and 46 Dollars for every 1PHP.

6. Hotel / Quarantine Facility Check-In

After 45mins of travel on a bus, we finally reached the facility where in we will stay for the 10 days quarantine. We expected some 5-star hotels, as same as the others who posting their social medias pertaining with their “same as staycation” on not so well known hotels  in Manila, but in luxury looks.  But stills, still grateful and thankful since the building and especially the room were fine, clean and nice. 

As per my experience, it doesn’t come with a free Wi-Fi. There is, but they were telling me that there are too much connected with it that’s why they can’t accommodate all. The good thing is, I have my roaming Globe SIM and I just loaded it to have some data to communicate with my love ones, just 1hour far from me. (Manila – Cavite).

And now, the countdown starts for 10-days of isolation (without going outside) and just delivering foods outside our doors from Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Foods are home cooked, and not by delivery fast foods.

 Hope this article will help on your upcoming vacation in the Philippines. You will now encountering the new normal process, and hope you enjoy your stay. We’ll keep posting for updates.