Several seafarer groups are pushing for the national implementation of the Swab-Upon-Arrival policy for merchant mariners that has been practiced by the province of Cebu since March 2021.

In a letter addressed to Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) chairperson and Department of Health (Doh) secretary Francisco Duque III, the Integrated Seafarers of the Philippines (ISP), Mariners' and Allied Transport Employees Union (MATEU), Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SONAME), and ANGKLA Partylist jointly appealed for the adoption of Executive Order No. 17 Series of 2021 or the Swab-Upon-Arrival-Policy that was enacted by Cebu province for Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).