• Port protocols have been revised by the Philippine Ports Authority following the government’s lifting of the COVID-19-triggered state of public health emergency
• PPA Port Administrative Order No. 006-2023 prescribes revised protocols for all arriving and departing ships and port users at ports under PPA jurisdiction
• The AO requires all ports to open to all ships, its crew, pilot, terminal operator, and port service providers at all times
• Wearing of masks is now voluntary and travel registration systems and contract tracing systems no longer necessary
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has revised port protocols following the lifting of the state of public health emergency in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PPA Port Administrative Order No. 006-2023, effective August 15, prescribes the revised port protocols that also apply to arriving and departing ships, passengers, and port users at ports under PPA jurisdiction.
AO 006-2023 repeals AO 05-2021, the revised port protocols in response to the pandemic. Other orders and issuances effective only during the state of public health emergency were withdrawn, revoked, or cancelled.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Proclamation No. 297 in July lifting the state of public health emergency throughout the Philippines sparked by COVID-19.
Under the new AO, all ports should be open to all ships subject to the entrance and clearance requirements such as the filing of notice of arrival and application for berth/anchorage.
Pilotage services will continue to be rendered provided that, for foreign ships, no boarding will be made before the submission of free pratique – or a ship’s license to enter a port on the assurance that she is free of contagious diseases – and clearance from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) boarding team.
The AO says the minimum health standard requirements prescribed by BOQ should still be complied with at all times by the ship, its crew, the pilot, terminal operator, and port service providers.
Discharge of ship wastes in all ports and their collection by PPA-authorized port reception facility operators will continue to be allowed, subject to the rules of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
All ports will allow crew change and crew shore leave, subject to applicable rules and regulations of the Bureau of Immigration and other concerned government agencies. Previously, under AO 05-2021, crew change for foreign ships was allowed only in designated ports, while crew change for domestic ships was allowed in all ports subject to coordination with PPA and the local government units.
All passengers and port users, vaccinated or not, will be allowed to enter the port and its facilities.
Registration to the Safe, Swift and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System or any other travel registration system is no longer required. The use of manual contract tracing or apps such as StaySafe.ph and Traze is also no longer necessary.
Wearing of face masks inside the port and port facilities is voluntary. Likewise voluntary is the application for issuance of Sea Safety certification for PPA offices and all private establishments inside the port.
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