Travel in the Time of Covid-19

Our little family on board the flight to Bacolod, November 30, 2020.

We are back in Manila after an almost two-month stay in Bacolod. We were supposed to go home March last year, a week before the pandemic hit the Philippines hard - yet Joey decided it was best to stay in Manila at that time. It would be easier for him to make the necessary work adjustments in light of the pandemic if he was here. At the same time, there were so many things we still didn’t know about the virus then so we thought it best to stay put. We also did not want to risk catching the virus as we travelled then passing it on, especially since my mother-in-law is of senior age (though she truly doesn’t look it - yes, sumipsip pa, haha! Pero totoo naman :)).

And so, we stayed. Like everyone else, we were holed up in our homes, alternating between confusion and rest, worry and action. Prior to 2020, we would go home to Bacolod around 3-4 times every year, staying for a maximum of three weeks each time, and almost always for a family member’s birthday.

To be honest, we were actually unsure if we were ever going to get to fly to Bacolod last year. There was just too much uncertainty and worry. Hospitals and governments overwhelmed, lack of definitive information about the virus, how safe was air travel? Personally, I am very wary of catching viruses on flights. I’ve traveled a lot for work in the past and almost always, I catch a bug on my flight home (granted, I lack sleep most of the time to make it to my early flights). So yeah, we thought, sad as it may seem, we may not be able to see Joey’s side of the family this year..

Dec 2, 2020. Lilibubs finally gets to be with her cousins and Lola Jing again <3

Months passed, the holiday season neared. The Philippine government lifted quarantine restrictions and LSIs (Locally Stranded Individuals - a category Joey falls under in since he is also a resident of Bacolod) were slowly being allowed to go home. LGUs seemed to have a better grasp of the whole situation. Flights, infrequent they may be, returned; the number of daily new cases dropped - the curve flattened. Towards early November, with all of these salient points carefully considered, Joey and I decided to fly home. My mother-in-law was ecstatic.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR TRAVEL: MANILA - BACOLOD

I visited the Facebook page of our barangay LGU in Bacolod and was surprised to learn that the requirements to go home were fairly easy to accomplish. All they needed from us were:

1. Pictures of our Valid IDs;

2. Contact person, number, and address in Bacolod;

3. Health certificates issued by our barangay here in Manila stating that we had not exhibited any of the Covid-19 symptoms for the past 14 days.

That was it. I remember Joey’s exact words: “Ang dali lang pala makauwi.”

In a matter of days and after further coordination, we learned of what was to transpire once we reached Bacolod:

1. Picked up from the airport by our quarantine hotel’s service, we were to head straight to the Philippine Red Cross to be swabbed. (Mommy Jing coordinated and booked our quarantine hotel for us. Thank you, Mommy Jing!)

2. We were to check in at our quarantine hotel and not leave our room until our swab results came out the following day.

3. If the results come out negative, we will be allowed to go home and asked to quarantine for 14 days. If found positive, we will be taken to another facility strictly for Covid-19 patients and will be treated and quarantined accordingly.

Everything all sounded so straightforward. We booked our flight (found out we couldn’t use our Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Miles at the moment - they are too backlogged) - mind you, they weren’t cheap. It cost us around P5,000+ per person for a one-way ticket. By that time, Lilibubs had already turned two so we had to pay full fare for her already (one of the pleasures this pandemic has robbed toddlers of - free flights!).

A week before our flight, I set about securing the health certificates issued by our barangay here in Manila. Filing up the forms followed an “Honesty is the Best Policy” rule - the four of us who were traveling didn’t need to personally report at the Health Office - I filled out the forms for us all and that was okay. I waited about an hour in the barangay office for the certificates and was also given a barangay clearance. Armed with our documents, I took photos of them using my mobile phone and along with the other requirements (valid IDs, contact person, number, and address in Bacolod), sent them all to the official coordinating LGU email. 

Exactly 20 minutes after, I got a reply that said, “Received and printed”. 16 minutes after that, I received another email from them with a “Notice of Coordination” attached. When I opened the document, I saw our names typed alongside other returning LSIs. (I had no idea how important this document was until the day of our flight when the woman in front of us in the check-in area failed to produce it - she wasn’t allowed to get on her flight. Kawawa.) I was both astonished and pleased by the LGU’s efficiency. Yes! I thought, they do have a better handle of things now, a better and more efficient system in place.

TRAVEL DAY: NOVEMBER 30, 2020

Acquaintances who have travelled ahead of us during this pandemic advised us to go to the airport at least three hours before the flight. Well, we still opted for the pre-pandemic two hours before, not wanting to linger long in the airport and reasoning that we had Lilibubs with us - we’d be given priority. A note of caution - do not ascribe to this thinking, hehe. If you’re without a child, best to be at the airport at least 2.5 hours before your flight.

Behind Lilibubs are the kiosks that PAL had setup for electronic contact tracing forms.

As expected, there were so many travellers at the airport. The lines to get inside were long, and as we walked towards the entrance with Lilibubs in tow, we arrived at the first point of inspection. Prior to luggage screening, there were about 6-7 kiosks setup with iPads for all travellers to fill out electronic passenger tracing forms. The guard took our temperatures and handed us the next available iPad. I filled out the electronic form, again for all of us, while Lilibubs played about. I noted that some of the tablets were conking out - probably from overuse? - and this resulted in very long waiting lines.

TRAZE

Days before our flight, PAL announced that a new contact tracing app called Traze was required for all passengers. We downloaded it and before entering the airport, I scanned the QR code and checked us all in through the app.

Luggage screening was considerably swift. When we reached the bag drop / check-in area, long lines met us again. We probably queued up for 45 minutes here - inabot na kami ng final call for check-in - and as I recounted earlier, one of the reasons for the insane delay was the woman in front of us with the incomplete papers. She tried and tried to get on her flight but was denied.

Lines were loooong and the wait made even longer by a hyper toddler!

When it was our turn, I presented our papers (we weren’t asked for a PNP Travel Pass although we also had that) and our bags were checked in. Shortly after, we boarded our plane. The flight was full. Everyone wore face masks and face shields. We breathed sighs of relief as we took our assigned seats - finally, we were going home! After almost a year, Lilibubs will be able to spend time with her Lola Jing and see her cousins again!

Did we worry about catching viruses while onboard the plane? Honestly at that point, we were too relieved to be thinking that. Everyone had their protective gear on the whole flight. Joey and I felt comfortable and secure enough to lower our masks and eat a bit and drink water because surely, PAL would have taken extreme sanitising and disinfecting precautions.  

Also, I suppose Joey and I both trusted that Lord will protect us through it all. He has led us to our decision to go home, surely He would make sure we were safe all throughout. And we were! Indeed, He protected us and the rest of the passengers on both our flights flying to and from Bacolod! Thank You, Lord Jesus, always and forever, for your protection and deliverance.

LANDED SAFELY!

Upon landing in Bacolod, we were asked to track our arrival through the Traze app again. We got our luggages and waited for our quarantine hotel service. This kinda took longer than expected - probably 30 minutes after we exited the airport? - as the driver did not hold a placard bearing our names as we were told he would. Joey had to actually look for our driver himself.

PRC SWAB

When we got to the swabbing center, there was only one other couple in the waiting area. As we waited for our turn, Lilibubs went around playing with and rearranging the monobloc chairs. The person in charge took our retrieval codes and cast a cursory glance at Lilibubs, asking if she’ll be swabbed too. I said no, because I didn’t know at that time that she needed to be swabbed. The guy, probably intimidated by this mom who wanted her daughter spared from the test, did not push the matter further.

Very important note: a day before our flight, our quarantine hotel sent us a text confirming our Red Cross schedule and links to where we can register and pay in advance for our swab tests. Joey accomplished these and saved our retrieval codes, and these were what we showed the swabbing centre.

OVERNIGHT QUARANTINE

It was off to the hotel for us. I remember it being a heartwarming time of bonding - it’s been so long since we slept with Lilibubs in the same room. I initially thought it would be tiring to spend the whole day with our toddler, but to my surprise it was quite pleasurable! She’s a lot of fun <3 When we found out Lilibubs had to be swabbed too and consequently, we had to stay another night at the hotel while we waited for her results, we didn’t really mind. But of course we put up a little fight - no one clearly told us that even two year olds had to be swabbed so it was more of a protestation on the vagueness of policy. We appreciated though that they relented to her just being swabbed on the mouth and not her nose, thankful also that she didn’t cry that much - it seemed it wasn’t as traumatic for her as we previously feared.

It was a different bonding experience, being on quarantine with family. I was so thankful for this time that we all got to fully enjoy each other’s company <3

Never a dull moment with this toddler!

HOME - FINALLY!

On December 2, two days after we arrived in Bacolod, we were released from our quarantine. Praise God for negative results! The barangay officials in our quarantine hotel gave us daily monitoring forms for the 14 days we were asked to do home quarantine. She said someone from the barangay health department would visit us daily to check our temperatures and check for other symptoms. The whole time we were in Bacolod though, no one contacted nor visited us.

My brother-in-law Jami picked us up. As we cruised along Lacson Ave and saw the familiar restaurants and sights, it felt so good to finally be able to go home. We were truly grateful for God’s protection, provision, and for allowing us to be with family. Though we couldn’t hug or go near Mommy Jing and the rest of the family at first, it was all okay. Just breathing and sharing the same space and house with them after a long time of not seeing each other was such a gift, especially for our little one.

Oh, and what joy it was seeing Lilibubs with her cousins, Ahia Deriq, Manong Jai, and Kuya Zique (aged 5, 4, and 3!). She smiled so hard and made such loud, happy exclamations upon seeing and playing with them - indeed, we’ve never really seen her enjoy that much at home! I suppose it just goes to show how much kids need to be around other kids, how being with them unlocks the purest joys and laughter. On that first meeting alone on our first night at home, sulit lahat ng pinagdaanan para makauwi. Sulit labanan ang takot at pangamba <3. 

Nothing but love <3 <3 <3 Lilibubs with her Lola Jing.

Lilibubs and Manong Jai. Dec 2, 2020 <3

The kids in Miranda, Pontevedra.

Christmas Day 2020. The family spent two relaxing, beautiful nights in Balai Ramirez <3

Our cottage in Balai Ramirez. Waking up to and sleeping to this view was one of the highlights of our trip for me <3 I love, love, love it there!!

Dada and Lilibubs enjoying the pool in Balai Ramirez. For inquiries, you may send a message on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BalaiRamirez .

Lilibubs and I with her Tita Ina, cousin Kayla, and Mama Lola Janet <3

She loooooved living and playing with her Uncle B’s three dogs <3 (not in photo: Mo)

This little girl did a lot of growing up in Bacolod.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR TRAVEL: BACOLOD - MANILA

Fast forward to mid-January, Joey and I bought tickets for our flight back to Manila at the PAL Ticket Office. It was the sales agent there who gave us the list of required documents to be able to fly back. They were more or less the same as the ones we had to secure for our Manila - Bacolod flight save for a few differences:

1. Pictures of our Valid IDs;

2. Barangay Clearance stating that we were residents of Bacolod / Certification that we completed our home quarantine;

3. Medical Certificates issued by the City Health Office declaring that we do not exhibit Covid-19 symptoms and thus, are fit to travel;

4. PNP Travel Authority;

5. Acceptance Letter from our barangay in Manila.

IMPORTANT: A BaCTrac QR code is needed to secure the medical certificates. BacTrac is Bacolod City’s Contact Tracing system for its residents. It made me wish a similar system was in place for Manila - one QR code specific to one person. Almost all the establishments I’ve entered in our stay in Bacolod has a BaCTrac system in place - all you have to do is scan your QR code at the entrances and you’re good to go (of course, they check your body temperature and require you to sanitise your hands). No filling up questionably dirty logbooks nor borrowing pens if you don’t have your own.  

Application is easy. Here’s the website: https://bactrac.bacolodcity.gov.ph .  

THE CITY HEALTH OFFICE IS QUITE PACKED, BEST TO GO EARLY IN THE MORNING. We were given priority again because Lilibubs was with us. It’s lucky we decided on bringing her  along because as it turned out, City Health officers needed to personally see and interview us before they handed out our certificates. The whole process, from getting a number at the gate to being interviewed by a health officer, probably took us an hour.

With documents 1-3 ready, Joey and I headed to the police headquarters in Taculing to request for a travel authority. The situation there was the opposite of the Bacolod City Health Department - no lines at all! Joey filled out some forms then we were asked to go back after two-three hours. Easy peasy.

The PNP officer asked us to secure an acceptance letter from our barangay in Manila. I asked my uncle to facilitate it for us and to ask if there were other requirements to get home (did we need to be swabbed?). It took him only 30 minutes to apply for it, and in the acceptance letter, the protocol for returning residents was clearly stated: first, we needed to be interviewed by the barangay medical officer (no specific day required but we chose to report to the barangay health office the day we arrived) and second, that we would be monitored by the barangay Covid-19 team for 14 days (as in Bacolod, we weren’t monitored here at all, hehe). But yay! No swab required to travel and upon our arrival!

TRAVEL DAY BACK TO MANILA: JANUARY 22, 2021

We were asked to check in through Traze again before entering the airport terminal. Airport screening and check-in were a breeze since our forms were complete. PAL personnel handed out health declaration forms for us to fill. These were collected on the flight. The flight was full and smooth, everyone in proper safety gear. We landed safely and on time in Manila, got our luggages, then it was home sweet home. Thank You, Jesus for your protection!

We brought home fond memories with us that we can cherish and look back on as we wait this pandemic out again. We aren’t really sure when we will fly home again as the obtaining of requirements can be quite bothersome, plus there is the new variant to be cautious of. In God’s time, by His will, we will all be together again. Until then, we are back to staying home and staying safe.

I hope my sharing of our travel experience helps you in yours, too! Do note that each LGU has its own protocol and that it is always best to personally check with your barangays on what the requirements are. God bless you! Thank you for reading. Be safe.

Bossa love,

Sitti

First family photo of 2021. January 3 <3