OceanJet starts 'sweeper trips' in October

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct. 3 (PIA) –- Oceanjet of Fast Ferries Corp. has announced it is putting up a regular "sweeper trip" as it resumes  sailing schedule to Bohol-Dumaguete-Bohol-Cebu. 

The regular sweeper trip is only for returning and departing Boholanos starting Oct. 8, 2020, said Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II during his weekly "Meet the Mayor." 

In a social media announcement, OceanJet announced the resumption of their trip but the service is only good for one boat serving the said routes, once a day.

Oceanjet said their trip leaves Cebu to Bohol at 9:20 a.m., arrives in Bohol at 11:20 a.m., then leaves for Dumaguete at 12:10 p.m. and arrives in Dumaguete by 2:10 p.m.

FASTER AND MORE CONVENIENT. WIth the resumption of OceanJet Trips dedicated for LSIs, OFWs, APORs, the travel time from Cebu is cut from 4-6 hours to just 2 hours, even as authorities here still announced that the same requirements would be required for passengers going onboard. (PIA Bohol file photo) 

The same boat leaves Dumaguete City bound for Tagbilaran City by 2:30 p.m., arrives by 4:30 p.m., and heads back to Cebu by 5:00 p.m., docking at Pier 1 at about 7:00 p.m. 

With this, OceanJet has advised that their new normal boarding guidelines include "no facemask and face shield - no boarding policy."

The face mask shall be worn at all times while onboard while check-in of tickets would be at least an hour before departure.

Thermal scanning would also be implemented before boarding the vessels, while strict social distancing in the queues would be observed.

Onboard, the ferry management strictly implements no transferring or exchanging of seats.

The management also assures the availability of alcohol or sanitizers while all their hand rails and passenger seats properly disinfected before and after embarkation.

The OceanJet announcement came on the same day Bohol Capitol issued Executive Order No 48 which extended the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) in Bohol until the end of November and allows only sweeper flights (or trips) catering to returning and departing Overseas Filipino Workers, locally stranded individuals (LSI), and Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR).

According to E.O. 49, the said authorized passengers can only be allowed to board provided that they have properly coordinated with their receiving LGUs so that supervised mandatory quarantine and testing protocols can be implemented. 

In the case of the OceanJet, all APORs, LSIs and OFWs should have complete travel documents as required by their receiving LGUs, as these documents, including a personal ID card, shall be necessary in purchasing for the ferry ticket.

In a radio interview, Fast Ferries Corp. spokesperson Jimmy Lastimado confirmed that the trip would still require passengers to have a travel authority and other documents as required by LGUs to also assure their residents that the person arriving is free from any contagious disease, especially the corona virus disease (COVID-19).

Passengers should have proper documents, Lastimado explained, which varies based on the requirements of the receiving LGU. 

For LSIs, APORs and OFWs coming home to Bohol, for example, the main requirements are proper and prior coordination of the returning individual with the LGU as certified by the LGU, Barangay Clearance Certificate from their place of origin attesting that the person has no prior travel outside the host barangay, and that the person has not been ill or is not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

This certification would be used to obtain the Medical Clearance Certificate from the Municipal or City Health Officer of origin.

The Medical Clearance Certificate is also an important document as a basis for the Travel Authority which could be obtained from the local police or the COVID SHIELD team.

Having all these, the traveling individual has to purchase the ticket, making sure he also has a personal ID card and comes with a face mask and face shield as required by the Department of Transportation in riding public transportation.

In some areas, returning individuals need to sign an undertaking, which could allow the LGU to place the individual under mandatory quarantine in an isolation facility. 

For Dumaguete, APORs have to present a company ID, Certificate of Employment, medical clearance certificate, and a travel order from company.

LSIs in transit to Dumaguete need medical clearance certificate and Travel Authority from the Philippine National Police (PNP)/LGU COVID SHIELD. 

For returning OFWs to Dumaguete, they have to present their passport, a medical clearance certificate, and a travel authority from PNP/LGU COVID SHIELD.

Dumaguete authorities, however, warned that additional requirements may be needed for certain areas, so it would be important to coordinate with the receiving LGU first before buying tickets.

The Department of Interior and Local Government has earlier discouraged LGUs from seeking a negative rapid antibody or Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Test results until the returning individual has arrived at the receiving LGU.

By this, the government spares the individual from shouldering the added cost, as the mandatory 14-day quarantine is still needed upon his arrival. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)