Zamboanga City hastens approval of S-Pass

THE Zamboanga City Government has lifted the verification process of the Safe, Swift and Smart Passage (S-Pass) application, hastening the travel of inbound travelers.

The S-Pass is an online travel management system developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in line with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Resolution 101.

Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, the local Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said the lifting of verification process came after the city has been classified as “unrestricted” destination.

Apolinario, who is also the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) chief, said the national IATF-EID downgraded the city’s classification to unrestricted effective Thursday, December 16.

“Although the S-Pass application is still mandatory, but the approval will be automatic for as long as all documentary requirements are uploaded in the system,” Apolinario said.

He said the verification of requirements will be done by health authorities at the city’s point of entry-airport, seaport or land borders of Licomo or Limpapa.

The requirements for S-Pass application include vaccination certification or antigen test result for travelers whose place of origin is under Alert Levels 4 or 5, or negative swab test result for unvaccinated travelers.

Before the unrestricted downgrade, the travelers will have to wait for the approval of their S-Pass application they submitted online before their actual travel.

Meanwhile, Apolinario warned penalties will be imposed against anyone who will be caught to have submitted spurious or fake documents. (SunStar Zamboanga)