Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday clarified that diplomats and foreigners who have 9(e) visas are also allowed to enter the country.

“National Task Force against COVID-19 has released an exemption. Not included (in the limitation) is the 9(e) visa holders. These are the diplomats or employees of local government,” he said.

Also exempted are medical repatriations and their escorts duly endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs or the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration; distressed returning overseas Filipinos duly endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs and emergency, humanitarian and other analogous cases approved by the NTF COVID-19.

In a virtual briefing earlier, NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr also said that they are only limiting the leisure and non-essential travels.

“Those who are essential (travelers) or have work-related visas are exempted… We have 9(e) visas , working visas for the diplomats or foreign essential workers are given exemption,” Galvez said.

On Monday, NTF released a memorandum limiting the inbound travelers to 1,500 to prevent the further spread of new variants in the country which they saw as one of the reasons for the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

The limitation in the arrival of inbound passengers will start on March 20 and it will be until April 19. Ella Dionisio/DMS