Electric Cooperative Restructuring Program

Authority and policy purpose

The rules are issued to implement Republic Act No. 9271 in accord with the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) (Section 2).
The rules protect and promote public health by ensuring maximum security against introduction or spread of disease subject to the IHR, particularly emerging diseases and public health emergencies of international concern (Section 3).
The rules harmonize public health protection with avoiding unnecessary disruption of trade and travel (Section 3).
The Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health exercises regulatory functions as the health authority in ports and airports of entry under the rules (Section 4 and Section 5).
The rules strengthen regulatory capacity by categorizing the Bureau of Quarantine as a line bureau with nation-wide functions and international commitment (Rationale).

Coverage: what the rules apply to

The rules apply to all vessels and aircraft (and their crew, passengers, and cargoes) that enter and depart from a seaport or airport within the territory of the Philippines (Scope/Coverage; Section 3 and Section 4).
The jurisdiction covers international and domestic movements for conveyances, people, and goods entering or leaving ports/airports within the Philippines (Objectives and Section 4).
The Bureau formulates sanitation requirements for conveyances, wharfage, anchorage, airports, seaports, and enforcement-related environments within the area of responsibility (Section 4).
The rules govern operations involving ports and airports of entry, and apply where formalities of CIQ are carried out (Section 4; definitions of ports/airports of entry).

Core definitions that guide implementation

Aedes aegypti index means the percentage of houses or premises positive for Aedes larvae over the number of houses inspected.
Aircraft means a conveyance that flies on international or domestic flight.
Aircraft commander means the person in charge of the aircraft’s operation and navigation.
Airport of entry means any airport designated by competent Philippine authorities where an aircraft makes its first entry and CIQ formalities are carried out.
Airport/port of departure/origin means the last airport/port of departure of an aircraft or vessel.
Baggage means personal effects of a traveler or a crew member.
Barrier nursing means use of complete personal protective equipment (PPE), proper use and disposal, and limitation of movement and interaction with the patient.
Berth means the place where a vessel docks.
Carrier means a person/host/agent/intermediate plant/vector/inanimate environment that harbors a specific infectious agent in the absence of discernible clinical disease and serves as a potential source of infection.
Case means a person meeting case definitions for surveillance and outbreak investigation purposes.
Communicable disease means illnesses due to infectious agents or their toxic products transmitted directly or indirectly through reservoirs/hosts/vectors/inanimate environment.
Contagious means human-to-human transmission by direct or indirect contact.
Conveyance means any transport means of an international or domestic voyage.
Crew means personnel employed on board.
Declared public health emergency means an official emergency declaration by the President as recommended by the Secretary of Health for a serious and direct public health threat.
Dedicated hospital means a designated facility for referral of suspect/probable cases of public health emergency of international concern.
Deratting means procedures to eradicate rats and other rodents.
Deratting certificates are certificates recording deratting findings and applied measures and are valid for six (6) months from issuance (Deratting certificates definition).
Direct transit area means a special airport area under Bureau supervision for transiting passengers and crew in segregation without leaving the airport.
Disease means an illness presenting risk of significant harm to humans caused by biological, chemical, or radio-nuclear sources.
Diseases subject to the Regulations refer to cholera, plague and yellow fever pursuant to the IHR (Edition 1969).
Disinfection means killing infectious agents or inactivating toxic products outside the body.
Disinfestations mean processes destroying/removing undesired small animal forms (particularly arthropods or rodents) on persons/clothing/environment or on animals/carriers.
Disinsection means operations to kill insect vectors in carriers/containers.
Domestic airport/port means an airport or seaport in Philippine territorial limits generally used for local travel.
Embarkation means going aboard a ship or aircraft.
Emerging diseases mean infections newly appeared or rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range.
Epidemic means occurrence of illness/health-related events in excess of usual level in a particular area over a particular period.
Epidemiology means study of patterns of distribution including causal factors and frequency/distribution of disease in populations.
Endemic means constant presence or usual prevalence within a geographic area/population group.
Fogging means creating airborne ultra-fine droplets picked up by insects through insecticide fog/mist.
Foreign port/airport means any seaport/airport outside Philippine territorial limits.
Fumigation means eliminating pests by exposure to germicidal or chemical gas/fume.
Hazardous means potential substances/materials to disrupt or damage people, property, services, or environment.
Health Authority means the national authority or entity immediately responsible for applying public health measures under the rules.
Health check list means traveler health information/declaration form completed on arrival or departure.
Incubation period means time from exposure/introduction to first signs/symptoms.
Infected Area means the area where infection occurred with potential for transmission.
Infected person means a person incubating or suffering from an infectious disease.
Infection means invasion by living microorganisms that may or may not result in illness.
Infectious means capable of transmitting a disease.
Infectious disease subject to the Regulations includes cholera, plague and yellow fever or any other disease mentioned/classified by WHO in the IHR.
Infectious disease not subject to the Regulations means other infectious diseases not mentioned in the IHR by WHO.
In quarantine means the state/condition during which the health authority applies measures to an aircraft/vessel/persons to prevent spread of disease or vectors.
International Health Regulations (IHR) means the WHO global regulatory framework adopted in 1969, amended in 1973, amended in 1981, and as may be further amended.
International voyage means a voyage between points of entry in two or more countries’ territories.
Isolation means separation with limitation of movement and interactions of infected persons/groups to prevent transmission.
Medical examination means preliminary health status determination, including scrutiny of health documents, and physical examination when deemed necessary.
Outbreak means an epidemic limited to localized increase (e.g., in a village/town/closed institutions).
Perimeter means an imaginary line enclosing the airport terminals, runway and tarmac.
PPE means materials covering the human body to prevent contamination (e.g., facial mask, eye protector/goggles, gown, gloves).
Pratique means permission for a ship/aircraft to enter, disembark, and commence operation after health requirements compliance.
Protective area means an area within a distance of at least four hundred (400) meters around the airport perimeter.
Public health emergency of international concern means an emergency posing a serious and direct threat considering seriousness, unexpectedness, potential for international spread, and travel restrictions; it is specified by Department Orders upon recommendations aligned with IHR.
Quarantine inspection means inspection of a conveyance with crew, passengers, and cargo to determine sanitation state and health status.
Quarantine means separation of exposed people not ill (or not yet showing signs), restricting movements/interaction during the incubation-equivalent period; those who get ill are immediately isolated.
Quarantine Medical Officer (QMO) means a duly licensed physician trained by the Bureau to perform mandated functions.
Regular QMO means a duly licensed physician trained by the Bureau and appointed by the Secretary of Health on recommendation of the Director of Quarantine.
Acting QMO means a duly licensed physician trained by the Bureau and designated by the Undersecretary of Health on recommendation of the Director of Quarantine to perform limited functions (e.g., inspection and clearance) where there is no Regular QMO; designation is renewable yearly after assessment.
Alternate QMO means a duly licensed physician trained by the Bureau and designated by the Undersecretary of Health on recommendation of the Director of Quarantine to perform limited functions in the absence of Regular QMO; designation is renewable yearly after assessment.
Seaports of entry means seaports designated by competent Philippine authorities where vessels make first entry and CIQ formalities are carried out.
Ship surgeon means a registered medical practitioner employed on a vessel.
Surveillance means systematic collection, consolidation, evaluation and analysis of data with prompt dissemination for proper action.
Suspect means a person considered by the health authority as exposed to a disease subject to the Regulations and/or emerging disease and/or public health emergency of international concern, and capable of transmitting the disease.
Thermal camera means a non-intrusive infrared camera to measure body temperature.
Vector means an animal, plant, or insect carrying or capable of conveying infectious agents.
Vessel means a hollow craft for traveling on water.
Valid certificate means a certificate conforming with WHO IHR model/rules.
Voluntary home confinement or quarantine means home-based isolation of asymptomatic contacts/exposed persons corresponding to the incubation period length.

Quarantine operations for vessels inbound foreign

All vessels coming from foreign ports are subject to quarantine inspection upon entry to any Philippine port (Section 7).
Vessels cleared in one Philippine port are deemed cleared for other ports except when a vessel involves an infectious disease subject to the Regulations, emerging disease, public health emergency of international concern, and/or death on board (Section 7).
A vessel subject to inspection is considered in quarantine until granted a pratique; it must fly a yellow flag at its foremast, drop anchor at the quarantine anchorage, put down its accommodation ladder, and wait for the QMO (Section 8).
The master must provide the QMO duly accomplished documents: Maritime Declaration of Health, Deratting/deratting exemption certificate, Passenger and crew list, Voyage Memo/Ports of Call, Clinical record of cases treated during the voyage, if any, and other documents the QMO deems necessary (Section 9.1).
If a case/suspected case exists (infectious disease subject to the Regulations, emerging disease, and/or public health emergency of international concern) and/or death on board, the master must notify the Bureau at the next port of call or station and take measures to prevent spread as directed by the Bureau (Section 9.2).
The ship captain may be ordered to muster crew and passengers for inspection; health deck officer/ship surgeon/physician must provide medical data and assist in examining patients in the sick-bay (Section 9.3).
Pratique types are:
- Free Pratique for compliance with quarantine rules (Section 10.1).
- Provisional Pratique when conditions include isolation of suspect/actual case, quarantine/medical surveillance of exposed persons, cargoes posing a public health threat, expired deratting certificate, vessel suspected of exposure to RBC incident (Section 10.2).
- Controlled Free Pratique (Direct Berthing Privilege) if requested within forty eight (48) hours prior to ETA and conditions include: no death onboard; stated ports of origin with no infectious disease subject to the Regulations/emerging disease/public health emergency of international concern present or endemic; no sick person or cases during voyage; no deaths/illnesses among captive animals/birds including rodents; and valid deratting/deratting exemption certificate (Section 10.3).
- Radio Pratique for military vessels (Philippine and foreign) with: a ship surgeon onboard/in squadron vessel; request submitted within forty eight (48) hours before ETA; ports stated with no relevant infectious disease/emergency present or endemic; no sick person/cases during voyage; no deaths/illness among captive animals/birds including rodents; and valid deratting/deratting exemption certificate (Section 10.4).
- Controlled Radio Pratique for cruise vessels with: ship surgeon/physician onboard; request submitted within forty eight (48) hours before ETA; ports stated with no relevant disease/emergency present or endemic; no actual or suspected case onboard; and quarantine personnel board at anchorage to conduct inspection while vessel proceeds toward port (Section 10.5).

Immunization and vessel inspection method

Travelers arriving from yellow fever infected areas must present valid international certificates of vaccination against yellow fever if arriving within six (6) days from that area (Section 11.1).
Yellow fever vaccination certificates are valid for ten (10) years, beginning ten (10) days after the date of immunization or re-immunization (Section 11.1).
WHO-accredited yellow fever vaccination centers are Quarantine Central Office, Manila; Cebu Quarantine Station; and Davao Quarantine Station (Section 11.1).
The Director of Quarantine may prescribe or require immunization from certain diseases when essential due to varying public health conditions (Section 11.2).
Other vaccinations may be administered upon request (Section 11.3).
During vessel inspection, the QMO checks: state of health; existence/non-existence of infectious disease/emerging disease/public health emergency from port of origin/previous ports; sanitation conditions onboard; validity of deratting certificate and state of rat life onboard; and type and tonnage of cargo (Section 12.1).

Boarding, departure clearance, and travel rules

When there is notification of suspected case/s and/or death onboard involving infectious disease subject to the Regulations, emerging disease, and/or public health emergency of international concern, the following applies:
- Only the QMO and/or duly accredited assistants may embark (Section 13.1.1).
- Disembarkation of passengers and crew is not allowed until quarantine clearance is granted (Section 13.1.2).
- Suspect case/s are medically evaluated onboard and transported to a designated referral hospital for isolation (Section 13.1.3).
- Remaining passengers/crew may be medically evaluated onboard if needed (Section 13.1.4).
- Persons possibly exposed may be isolated or placed under voluntary home confinement (home quarantine) (Section 13.1.5).
- Any unauthorized person who boarded under quarantine is subject to detention and quarantine (Section 13.1.6).
If a vessel is exposed to RBC terrorism, tailored actions apply consistent with interim guidelines on preparedness and response to RBC incidents (Section 13.2).
No vessel may depart from any Philippine seaport to a foreign destination without securing an outgoing quarantine clearance from the Director of Quarantine or duly authorized representative (Section 14).
Outgoing clearance is granted only if the vessel has observed all quarantine requirements; this clearance is a requirement for customs clearance for departure (Section 14).
For international voyages, the Director of Quarantine may order medical examination of travelers and may disallow suspected persons from embarking except for transport of sick persons by a conveyance specially provided to safeguard passenger and crew health (Section 15).

Inspection personnel and inspection hours

Vessel quarantine inspection is conducted by the QMO and/or duly accredited assistants designated by the Director of Quarantine (Section 16).
Where there is no QMO in a seaport, a duly trained physician is designated by the Undersecretary of Health as Acting or Alternate QMO upon recommendation of the Director of Quarantine on an annual contractual basis (Section 16).
Vessel inspections must be made between 0800-1200H and 1300-170H, Mondays to Fridays (Section 17).
Inspections outside those hours and during Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays must be compensated; the Director of Quarantine may allow reasonable reimbursement by the shipping company for incurred expenses and services of quarantine personnel (Section 17).

Domestic vessel quarantine and sanctions

All domestic vessels plying domestic ports that have infectious disease subject to the Regulations, emerging disease, public health emergency of international concern, and/or death on board are subject to quarantine inspection and clearance (Section 18).
Where no quarantine officials exist, clearance coordination is with local health authorities (Section 18).
A domestic vessel subject to inspection is considered in quarantine until properly cleared, and must follow the same physical/flag/anchorage/waiting requirements before boarding the QMO for inspection (Section 19).
The master must provide documents including clinical record of treated cases/death incident report, deratting/deratting exemption certificate, passenger/crew list, voyage memo/ports of call, and other documents deemed necessary based on Bureau guidelines (Section 20.1).
If a case/suspected case exists, the master must notify the Bureau at the next port of call/station and take measures to prevent spread as directed by the Bureau (Section 20.2).
The ship captain may be ordered to muster passengers and crew for inspection; the deck officer in charge of health or ship surgeon/physician must provide medical data and assist in patient examination and clinical record review (Section 20.3).
The Director of Quarantine may prescribe immunization requirements as essential due to varying public health conditions (Section 21).
Vessel inspection checks include state of health; existence/non-existence of relevant disease/outbreak from origin/previous ports; sanitation conditions; deratting certificate validity and state of rat life; and cargo type and tonnage (Section 22).
Where there is no QMO, the designation of Acting or Alternate QMO follows the same annual contractual basis rule (Section 23).
Boarding restrictions upon notification of suspected cases and/or death for domestic vessels are identical to foreign-vessel quarantine boarding rules: authorized embarkation only; disembarkation prohibited until quarantine clearance; suspect evaluation and transport for isolation; possible evaluation of remaining persons; possible isolation or voluntary home confinement; and detention/quarantine for unauthorized boarding (Section 24.1.1 to Section 24.1.6).
RBC-terrorism exposure triggers tailored actions per interim RBC guidelines (Section 24.2).

Vessel-in-port sanitation, rat control, fumigation

Rat guards are required on mooring connection lines when a vessel docks alongside piers: mooring lines must have prescribed rat guards at least one (1) meter in diameter and fixed perpendicular to the line (Section 25.1).
Cargo nets must be hauled up when in use; gangway/plank and/or ramp (forward and aft) must be lifted when not in operation; lighting must be maintained throughout the night to prevent rodent access (Section 25.2).
Vessels must fend off at least one and one-half (1 1/2) meters from the dock (Section 25.3).
A vessel tying alongside another vessel moored to a dock must take measures to prevent rats from moving between vessels (Section 25.4).
Vessels may not dump garbage overboard in the harbor; garbage must be collected in prescribed containers and disposed through arrangements for regular removal by a disposal service in accordance with environmental and health provisions and existing waste disposal standards/laws (Section 26).
The following vessels are subject to rat inspection while in the harbor:
- No deratting/deratting exemption certificate (Section 27.1.1).
- Expired deratting/deratting exemption certificate (Section 27.1.2).
- Valid deratting/deratting exemption certificate but with moderate to heavy rat infestation onboard or having visited plague-infected ports (Section 27.1.3).
Rat inspection must be supervised by the QMO and findings recorded in the Deratting Inspection Form; deratting measures are conducted based on infestation degree and corresponding certificates issued (Section 27.2).
Deratting certificates are:
- Deratting Certificate: after deratting measure (e.g., fumigation, rat poisoning, trapping), valid for six (6) months from issuance (Section 27.3.1).
- Deratting Exemption Certificate: when no evidence of rat infestation exists, valid for six (6) months from issuance (Section 27.3.2).
- Extension Certificate: valid for one (1) month from issuance, instructing formal inspection and issuance of deratting certificate/exemption certificate in the next authorized port; it can only be issued once (Section 27.3.3).
Vessels must have a valid deratting certificate or an extension certificate upon arrival and prior to departure (Section 27.4).
Fumigation in the harbor is required for:
- Any vessel with human or rodent plague onboard (Section 28.1).
- Any vessel moderately or heavily infested with rats or other pets and vermins (Section 28.2).
- Cargoes from a plague-infected port vulnerable to harbor rats and fleas; fumigation may be waived if covered by a valid fumigation certificate from the port of loading after verification of authenticity (Section 28.3).
- Inter-island vessels for their periodic annual fumigation (Section 28.4).

Aircraft quarantine upon foreign arrival

All aircraft from foreign airports are subject to quarantine inspection upon entry in any Philippine airport, and clearance in one airport is deemed clearance for other airports except where an aircraft involves infectious disease subject to the Regulations, emerging disease, public health emergency of international concern, and/or death onboard (Section 29).
Aircraft from a foreign airport must land first at an airport of entry unless permission to land elsewhere is granted by appropriate authorities; after permission, the Director of Quarantine must be immediately notified of time and place of arrival (Section 30.1).
Airlines must notify within forty eight (48) hours the Bureau of Quarantine of the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for quarantine inspection/clearance, specifying date/time of arrival, type of aircraft, flight number/registration marks or aircraft ID, airport of origin, and number of persons onboard (Section 30.2).
Airlines must submit a duly accomplished aircraft General Declaration upon arrival (Section 30.3).
Before arrival, aircraft commander/airline representative must inform the Bureau of Quarantine of:
- Cases of infectious diseases subject to the Regulations, emerging disease, and/or public health emergency of international concern at airport of origin (Section 31.1).
- Ill persons onboard or suspected persons with relevant infectious disease/emerging disease/public health emergency (Section 31.2).
- Death onboard from any cause (Section 31.3).
- Transport of a patient passenger by Medevac regardless of case nature (Section 31.4).
The commander/representative must provide passenger list and seat numbers, cargo manifest, aircraft configuration, and facilitate medical examination by the officer-on-duty when necessary (Section 31.5).
When there is notification of suspected cases and/or death onboard:
- Only the QMO and/or duly accredited assistants may embark (Section 32.1).
- Disembarkation of other passengers is not allowed until quarantine clearance is granted (Section 32.1).
- Suspect case/s are medically evaluated at the holding area and transported to a designated referral hospital for isolation (Section 32.1.1).
- Remaining passengers and crew are medically evaluated at the quarantine inspection area (holding area) in the airport terminal if needed (Section 32.1.2).
- Exposed persons may be isolated or placed under voluntary home confinement or quarantine (Section 32.1.3).
- Unauthorized entry into quarantine inspection area during passenger inspection triggers quarantine restriction (Section 32.1.4).
RBC-terrorism exposure triggers tailored actions consistent with interim RBC incident guidelines (Section 32.2).

Aircraft vector control and departure clearance

All aircraft must be disinsected according to WHO and ICAO rules and regulations, and aircraft from other airports are subject to additional measures when necessary to prevent introduction of insect vectors (Section 33.1).
Aircraft disinsection must be conducted after disembarkation of passengers by spraying cabins/cockpit/baggage compartments and other places with an approved aerosol insecticide or via fine vaporization using recommended insecticide (Section 33.2).
Residual disinsection of cargo hold can be done upon request (Section 33.2.1).
Active anti-mosquito measures must be maintained within a protective area extending at least four hundred (400) meters around each airport of entry (Section 33.2.1).
Aedes aegypti surveillance and monitoring must be undertaken to keep the Aedes aegypti index within WHO-recommended limit (Section 33.2.1).
Breeding places of flies, mosquitoes, and other insects must be eliminated and vector control measures implemented; the Bureau may order measures against these vectors from time to time (Section 33.2.2).
No aircraft may depart from any Philippine airport to a foreign destination without securing outgoing quarantine clearance from the Director of Quarantine or duly authorized representative; clearance is granted only if all quarantine requirements are observed, and it is required for customs clearance for departure (Section 34).
The Director of Quarantine may order medical examination of travelers and disallow suspected persons from embarking on an international flight, except when transporting sick persons by a conveyance specially provided to safeguard other passengers and crew (Section 35).
Aircraft quarantine inspection is conducted by the QMO and/or duly accredited assistants; if no QMO exists at an airport, a duly trained physician is designated by the Undersecretary of Health as Acting or Alternate QMO on recommendation of the Director of Quarantine under an annual contractual basis (Section 36).
Aircraft inspections must be made between 0800-1200H and 1300-1700H, Mondays to Fridays; out-of-hours and holidays must be compensated with reasonable reimbursement by concerned airline allowed by the Director of Quarantine for incurred expenses/services (Section 37).

Domestic aircraft rules and detention procedures

All domestic aircraft with relevant infectious disease/emerging disease/public health emergency of international concern and/or death onboard are subject to quarantine