Foreign spouses, parents and children of Filipino citizens with valid visas are allowed to enter the Philippines without securing the entry exemption document starting August 1, Malacanang said on Friday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on its meeting on Thursday.

"Upon the recommendation of the IATF Technical Working Group, foreign spouses, parent/s, and/or children of Filipino citizens with valid 9(a) visas may be allowed entry to the Philippines without the need of an entry exemption document beginning 01 August 2021," IATF Resolution No. 128 read.

The 9(a) visas are temporary visas issued to tourists for pleasure or business.

For this purpose, the task force said the visas of the individual concerned shall contain the following notation: “EED not required per IATF Resolution No. 128 (s.2021).”

Prior to the latest resolution, the concerned foreigners not traveling with the Filipino citizen were required to secure or possess appropriate entry exemption document and visa to be allowed entry into the Philippines. Celerina Monte/DMS