Friday, March 29, 2024

Gov’t includes IT among exempted in cargo lockdown ban

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued a memorandum circular making IT equipment among those exempted in the prohibition of cargo transport because of the Luzon-wide lockdown.

The exemption is provided under MC 20-08 issued on Friday, March 20, with the subject “Ensuring Unhampered Movement of Cargo and Transit of Personnel of Business Establishments Allowed to Operate During the Enhanced Community Quarantine of Luzon, amending for this purpose MC No.20-06”.

Local IT companies have earlier complained that they cannot deliver vital equipment such as laptops and provide tech support to banks and other establishments who remain open to the public. IT was not included in the list of exempted industries under a previous directive issued by the government.

The amended guidelines also qualified business processing outsourcing and export-oriented companies as among those covered enterprises that may continue operations under the quarantine period.

At the same time, the DTI has started to process applications for official identification cards approved by Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for enterprises allowed to operate during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

In DTI Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 20-08, starting March 22, unless extended, an official IATF ID issued by DTI shall be presented at checkpoints by the skeleton workforce of covered enterprises and establishments.

The process of application is through e-mail. Companies can apply for official IATF IDs by filling out the form through this link. Manufacturing enterprises shall e-mail the application to manufacturers@dti.gov.ph addressed to Board of Investments executive director Ma. Corazon Dichosa.

For retailers, applications shall be sent to retailers@dti.gov.ph addressed to DTI Consumer Protection Group Angeli Ann Solis and Maria Lorena Yanga. Personnel in logistic services can send their applications via logistics@dti.gov.ph addressed to DTI Supply Chain and Logistics Management Division officials Jonathan Cabaltera, Wea Bohol, and Berlin Mabuna.

Last Tuesday, March 17, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) also called on the police and military personnel not to restrict the access of servicemen and linemen working for mobile operators and for the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). — with reports from PNA

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