TRAVELING TO PROGRAM

We're excited to have you joining us on our program in Southern Leyte, Philippines!

Volunteers are responsible for getting to and from the program on their own. Before you travel, please be aware that we ask all volunteers and staff to confirm that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You must bring along your vaccination card as you may be asked to prove your vaccination status at any time. The term fully vaccinated refers to when an individual has received the single-shot vaccine or both doses of the two-shot vaccine, and two weeks have elapsed since the final dose.

In addition to the vaccination, we ask all volunteers to take an antigen test 72 hours before traveling to program. However, if you’re traveling internationally you must also ensure you have familiarised yourself with the test you require for entry to the country, this could be different to the All Hands and Hearts requirement.

Please take the time to read our COVID-19 safety measures and Covid Advice document for this program. All Hands and Hearts reserves the right to ask anyone who does not adhere to our COVID-19 safety measures, or any other element of our Code of Conduct, to leave program.

Read more about our safety measures on the Health, Safety and Security page.

Visit the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines to find out what are the entry requirements for your country.

A tourist ‘Entry Visa’’ is available on arrival at international airports, for citizens from many countries; however, there are a number of countries that require a visa before arrival. See The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs website for a list of countries and their respective visa entry requirements. Please check with the Philippine Embassy in your home country, see here and here, for the best advice.

The cost of the 30-day tourist visa-on-arrival is free depending on the country you are from. There is an ATM available in the arrival terminal in Manila but we recommend you to come prepared with cash. You should expect the process to take a couple of hours, but it is relatively straightforward. The Entry Visa is granted for a maximum stay of 30 days, after which you can extend the visa from within the country, and a new application must be made upon re-entry.

At the airport immigration, you may have to show the following: Entry slip given on the plane, passport and ticket showing your departure date back to the country you came from or ticket to another country.

When departing from your location, your airline may ask you to show the following in order to travel to the Philippines:

• Proof of being fully vaccinated; this includes a booster shot.

  • If you don’t have a booster, you must show proof of a negative RT-PCR in order to enter the Philippines taken two days before your departure date. (Make sure you save your original location departing ticket, some places may ask to see it to verify your PCR)

• proof of a return ticket to the US or other destination (They usually also ask for it at the immigration after landing. If you won’t have it, they might make you book a ticket ad-hock. If you’re planning to stay in the Philippines for longer than 30 days, it’s worth purchasing a flexible ticket so that you can change the departure date after the arrival or cancel the ticket).

• You must register for a One Health Pass within 48 hours of departure. Make sure not to forget to take a screenshot.

We recommend you to check these requirements regularly since they are being updated frequently. Please note that having all the correct documentation for travelling is your responsibility.

Visit the local area section to learn more about the COVID-19 restrictions in Southern Leyte and also head to head to our Health, Safety, and Security page to read more about our COVID safety measures.

Once your application has been accepted, you will receive everything you need to prepare for the program. If you need to talk with a member of our volunteer coordination team, you can reach them at philippinesrecovery@allhandsandhearts.org.

Our Volunteer Engagement and Relations Coordinator Sam will give you a call 2 weeks before you arrive to answer any last-minute questions and provide any last-minute support. Please be sure to download the Whatsapp app on your phone as this is not only the primary means of communication prior to the program. It is also the primary source of communication while on the program.

Our base is located in the Municipality of Malitbog in Southern Leyte. We will provide the exact location once you've been officially invited to join!

You are most likely to get to the Philippines by flying to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. From there, you can take a flight to either Tacloban City or Cebu City, which are the two biggest cities in the region. Travelling by land from Manila to our base will take up to two days, so unless you have a lot of time and feel adventurous, we recommend that you fly to one of those cities. Alternatively, you can fly to Cebu City, which is the Philippines' second largest city and also has an international airport. There are no airports in Southern Leyte, where the program is located, so we recommend that you take one of the following routes to arrive to the base:

1. Via. Tacloban:

2. Or head to the bus terminal at “Tacloban New Transport Terminal, Tacloban City” across the road from Robinsons North Shopping Mall and board a public bus for roughly ₱300 ($5.50).

• Note that buses leave early, around 6 am. There are no afternoon or evening buses, so you might need to stay for the night in Tacloban City if you want to go with this option. There are quite a few accommodation options in the city. You will also find there a lot of shops, restaurants, and two shopping malls - Save More (SM) - in the downtown area, and Robinsons located next to the bus terminal.

Once at Sogod, take a jeepney or multicab westbound (look for signs on the dashboard with Malitbog, Tomas Oppus or Maasin) and ask to be dropped off at the base (exact address to the base will be sent to you after your place on the program will be confirmed) for ₱50-150 ($1-3). Be aware that the last jeepney or multicab from Maasin city is around 6 pm, so arrive early.

Before you enter the pier building (picture below), you will see several ticket offices where you can purchase ferry tickets. There are a few different companies operating the route between Cebu City and Ormoc, and you can choose the one that best suits your budget and timing.

After Arriving in Ormoc, head to the Ormoc City van terminal located very close to the port. Then board a van to Maasin City (3hours van ride) for ₱250 ($5). Screenshot of the map above.

From Maasin City terminal, take a multicab or jeepney to Malitbog, Tomas Oppus or Sogod for ₱50 ($1)

If it gets too late, there are several options for accommodation in Cebu, Ormoc and Maasin. We recommend that you check your flight arrival and plan accordingly. Making this trip in one go might be hard to achieve unless you land at Cebu airport early in the morning.

If you take the 6-hour Night ferry from the ferry terminal at Cebu City Pier 3 to Hilongos Port, Leyte for ₱405 ($8.10), see here and here for more details. Tip: Make sure you get to purchase a bus ticket to Tomas Oppus / Sogod inside the ferry at the beginning of your trip (they will be announcing this) before they run out of seats. Bus ride (1-hour trip) fare is ₱200 ($3.74).