Stranded in Cebu

107POSTS

4 years ago

I needed to take a day trip from Bohol to sign some papers in Cebu. My partner and I negotiated a delay to the event to take advantage of relaxed travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers.

The journey to Cebu was fairly relaxed, marred only by a message, as we were boarding the ferry, that the wrong papers might have been received from Manila. After a pleasant overnight stay, we confirmed that the papers were not correct and our journey had been wasted.

Now our ordeal begins. Changed restrictions required a swab test for the return to Cebu. I committed the heinous crime of testing positive. The result was available at 19:15 in the evening. My partner tested negative. We complied with the advice of the test centre and informed the Barangay and the hotel of my result. was denied any access to the hotel with no alternative accommodation.

My partner did much phoning around of registered quarantine hotels. None of which would accept me. The primary government isolation centre in Manolo also refused to accept me, because I am a foreigner.

With police intervention and assistance from a doctor from EOC, we were finally ambulanced to an alternative isolation centre in Guadalupe. The facilities there were very basic but at least we had a bed for the night. However, the facilities were not very isolated and we shared a former school classroom with 6 other people who were presumably isolated for various reasons.

The very helpful staff at the isolation centre were able to direct us to an isolation hotel that would accept me. The isolation hotel, In & Go is great improvement compared to the government centre but could be better. We are quarantined here for a mandatory 10 days.

having come to terms with the shifting sands of the Cebu Restrictions, Bohol has announced a total travel ban to and from the island from 6th August until 20th. So, we will still be stuck in Cebu when we are released from isolation. Presumably, we will be able to check in to a normal hotel.

On returning to Bohol, providing that there are no more positive swab tests, we can look forward to 14 more days in quarantine. Hopefully we can serve that sentence at home.

I remain totally asymptomatic several days after the test. I am fairly sure that the test result is a false positive. I was informed by a helpful employee at the test centre that,聽 of the 200 people tested on the same day as me, around 60, that's 30%, tested positive, most of which were fully vaccinated.

So, here I am, being detained against my will and being denied the opportunity for a second swab test.

Any ideas folks?

Steve

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pnwcyclist Philippines Expert

1489POSTS

4 years ago

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. If I read it correctly you are stilll in the hotel in Cebu City/ I wonder why you can't get another swab test? Since they are known to give false positives. What if you pay? What about a PCR test?

BassMan_720 Contributor

107POSTS

4 years ago

I've been trying to get a re-test. In effect, I'm a prisoner in the hotel. DOH has advised that to get a new test. The Hotel must coordinate the relevant parties to arrange a test at the hotel. The hotel has, so far refused to cooperate, because this is not in their guidelines. Next step is to procure a letter from the DOH to the hotel to instruct them to arrange the test. I'm running out of time. Travel to/from Bohol is prohibited from 00:01 on 6th.

I'm absolutely sure that my result was a false positive.

pnwcyclist Philippines Expert

1489POSTS

4 years ago

Well the hotel is happy to have a captive customer, lol..

The only thing I can think of is to have an attorney assist. Write a demand letter or perhaps make a phone call.. I have used two in Cebu, but one is on Mactan and very busy. I will see if I can get the number of the other one for you and PM the info to you.聽 He is near Fuente Circle. I will try to get his contact info to you today. Maybe I will send you both. It will be up to you to call them to see if they can assist. Both of them are honest and straight up, but of course you have to be prepared to pay for an intervention like this.

Unfortunately I am in the States but please PM me your full name and contact info and I will contact my GF for his number.

BassMan_720 Contributor

107POSTS

4 years ago

pnwcyclist wrote:
Well the hotel is happy to have a captive customer, lol..

The only thing I can think of is to have an attorney assist.

Many thanks pnwcyclist. I'll pm you my details.

Hopefully, we can sort this the local way. My partner is ex PNP so knows her war around the legal admin better than most.

Currently we are awaiting a response from the DOH about the "required" letter to the hotel. We will be on the phone to them to push as soon as the office opens today, The outcome from this will determine our next course of action.

We have already registered our complaint with the local police station, to get a record in their blotter. This leaves things open to us to start legal proceedings at the Barangay level. This might be a little slower than we require so your offer to send us contact details of a lawyer here is gratefully accepted. We have a good lawyer back on Bohol, who we will contact also. I doubt if he can help us from there.

Many thanks again

Steve

Enzyte Bob ViP

4294POSTS

4 years ago

BassMan_720 wrote:
Hopefully, we can sort this the local way. My partner is ex PNP so knows her war around the legal admin better than most.

Currently we are awaiting a response from the DOH about the "required" letter to the hotel. We will be on the phone to them to push as soon as the office opens today, The outcome from this will determine our next course of action.

We have already registered our complaint with the local police station, to get a record in their blotter. This leaves things open to us to start legal proceedings at the Barangay level. This might be a little slower than we require so your offer to send us contact details of a lawyer here is gratefully accepted. We have a good lawyer back on Bohol, who we will contact also. I doubt if he can help us from there.

Many thanks again

Steve

Throughout your trial & tribulations you and PhilRes are going through, my first and my last thought is the final coup d' etat comes Friday when more stricter rules come into play.

Then the agency that gives you a get out of jail free card will be closed for the duration thanks to the "Big D".

pnwcyclist Philippines Expert

1489POSTS

4 years ago

Steve,聽 my GF suggested the LGU (barangay) route is probably the best approach, but I sent you my attorney info just in case. Hope you get it all resolved, please keep us updated. I'm off to bed here in the States, will check in the AM.

BassMan_720 Contributor

107POSTS

4 years ago

Latest Update.

Now too late to secure a ferry to Bohol before the lockdown. So, I'm not wasting any more energy trying to secure a re-test.

Anyway, the latest response from the DOH is not helpful: "As per Emergency Operations center directive, ang first swab ra jd ang basihan ma'am.. I wouldnt suggest for a re swab kay regardless of the result sa re swab ,still kato japon ang first will be recognized...鈥� Roughly meaning that only the first swab test result is valid, even if it is incorrect.

It looks like I am condemned to stay in this awful place for a while. The whole thing stinks of scam and corruption.

The very high positive figures (30% from the test centre on the day I was tested) are not credible. This is distorting the statistics and misleading the decision makers to make rules that are overly damaging to the economy.

Seeing as I am here with nothing better to do, I can kick up a lot of dirt to irritate聽 several influential people for a while. You never know, I might find some real dirt to dig up.

manwonder ViP

1904POSTS

4 years ago

Really v.sorry about your ordeal/situation & have heard of similar experiences/horror stories of other expats (one such YT clip below) & that was the main reason why I stuck it out here.
Someone did mention/remarked on the clip that made a lot of sense to me :
"a covid compliant hotel"... that would mean any hotel that the owners are friends or family of the local or State authority and has made the proper donations"

Stay Strong & really not worth kicking up dirt here.

(omo)

BassMan_720 Contributor

107POSTS

4 years ago

#10

Wow! Many thanks for the link.

The hotel is almost exactly the same as my prison. The doors are the same but a different colour and the room and bathroom fittings are very similar. I suspect that they are both part of the same chain. No suspicion of corruption there then. Fingers crossed that our ordeal does not last quite so long as the blogger's.

It is somewhat of a relief that others have shared a similar experience. I suspect that this is a much wider issue than is apparent.

Steve

Jackson4 Serial expat

714POSTS

4 years ago

#11

Sorry to hear about dilemma BaseMan.
Even here in the US false positives happen especially on saliva swabs.
I hope you and your partner will not get sick from being around sick people while in quarantine.

BassMan_720 Contributor

107POSTS

4 years ago

#12

Jackson4 wrote:
Sorry to hear about dilemma BaseMan.
Even here in the US false positives happen especially on saliva swabs.
I hope you and your partner will not get sick from being around sick people while in quarantine.

We managed to escape the Isolation Hotel on 10th August. The hotel was very efficient and my paperwork was arranged automatically and available for our departure. The Hotel was probably very happy to see the back of us, because we were not the most cooperative of guests.

Anyway, we have fell foul of the Bohol travel ban. We are in Cebu until 20th August at the earliest. We have found a very reasonable hotel near to the city centre. There is not much we can do with our freedom. Everything that might be of interest to us in Cebu has been closed since 1st August.

Never mind, I hope the travel ban is lifted as planned. When the time comes, I just hope that my better half doesn't test positive and we have to go around the merry-go-round again.

Steve