# Manila VA Outpaitient Clinic Announcements and Reminders



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

MANILA VA OUTPATIENT CLINIC

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

March 2020

Presidential Proclamation Regarding “Community Quarantine” in Metro Manila

VA Manila has received multiple calls on Friday, March 13, 2020, from concerned Veterans throughout the Philippines seeking information regarding Philippine President Duterte’s announcement instituting “Community Quarantine” in the Philippines. I wanted to take a moment and share with you the latest information I have. As of 4:00p on Friday, March 13, 2020, VA Manila fully intends to remain open for business on Monday, March 16, 2020, and continue operations going forward, until advised otherwise.

We have been told that our Clinic staff can travel throughout Metro Manila despite the ‘Community Quarantine,’ so long as they have their VA employee identification. As long as our staff can come to work, the Clinic will be open for patient care. The best source of information on this rapidly evolving topic right now are reputable news media outlets in the Philippines, and the US Embassy Website (http://ph.usembassy.gov) and US Embassy Philippines Twitter Account (@USEmbassyPH). VA Manila Regional Office and Outpatient Clinic are both part of the United States Embassy, so any decisions that are made regarding the operations or closure of the US Embassy will also directly impact operations at VA Manila. I know there is a significant amount of false information permeating the internet currently, please ensure you are reading news from trusted sources and double check before taking action on something you read on Facebook.

It has been reported that domestic air, land, and sea travel will be limited beginning March 15, 2020 and lasting until April 12, 2020. The final decisions about who these limitations will apply to have not been formally announced by the Philippine Government. VA Manila is proactively working to mail controlled substance prescriptions renewals that would have been due between March 16 and April 3, 2020, to Veterans residing outside Luzon out of an abundance of caution in case our couriers, Air 21 and LBC, are unable to transport packages to other locations due to reduced or cancelled air services.

For Veterans who may need to travel from other islands to Luzon to access the VA, please pay close attention to the most current information available prior to departing your home island. VA Manila will not have any ability to help you return home if you arrive in Manila this weekend and all domestic air travel from Manila is suspended on Monday. If this happens, you may need to travel to Angeles City and Clark Airport, which is outside of the Metro Manila Community Quarantine Zone, and should continue to have domestic air travel options. In this case, you may wish to call the Clinic to cancel and reschedule your appointment. Our contact information is provided below.

Please stay up to date on the latest information about COVID19 through the links below, and about VA’s operational status in the Philippines via the US Embassy. You are always welcome to contact the clinic directly - #MyVA (#6982) or +63-02-8550-3888, Option 2. You can email the VA Manila Clinic Manager as well with questions or concerns at [email protected].

Thank you, as always, for the trust of being your healthcare provider.

Best,

Daniel Gutkoski, MHA

Clinic Manager

Where to get additional information
The following sites have information that may be useful to Veterans in the Philippines:

Philippine Department of Health: https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCoV


US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html


US Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/n-coronavirus/index.asp


US Embassy in the Philippines: https://ph.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/


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