MANILA, Philippines – The certificate of acceptance is not required for local government units (LGUs) to accept locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to their localities, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) emphasized on Friday, May 22.

“Certificate of acceptance by the receiving LGU is not required on the management of LSIs,” DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said in a memorandum signed on Friday, May 22.

The certificate of acceptance was never required by the national government but some local government units have been requiring the document, preventing an undetermined number of stranded individuals from coming home.

Based on the memoranda issued by the government’s National Task Force and the DILG, stranded individuals only need the following to return to their hometowns:

1. Medical clearance certification issued by the LGU where they were stranded
2. Travel authority issued by the Joint Task Force COVID Shield to return home

To acquire these documents, stranded individuals must inform the LGUs where they are stranded, then go under a 14-day quarantine before heading home. They must not be contact, suspect, probable, or confirmed COVID-19 cases. (READ: Stranded because of lockdown? Here’s what you need to know)

The Philippine government has been implementing lockdowns across the country since mid-March, resulting in millions of Filipinos being left stranded away from their homes. – Rappler.com