The government is now eyeing measures to fight the possible proliferation of counterfeit vaccination cards after it relaxed its restrictions for interzonal travel.
“That matter will be discussed by the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases],” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in an online news briefing last Monday.
This after several local government units (LGU) have already raised concern over the decision of the IATF to allow Covid-19 vaccination cards as substitute for testing requirement for interzonal travel.
Fake vaccination cards
Some local officials are wary the new policy may prompt people to make use of fake vaccination cards to ease their travel in areas with different community quarantine classifications.
Roque warned people, who will engage in such illegal action will face severe sanctions.
“If you fake a vaccination card, that’s considered as falsification of a public document and they will face a long jail sentence,” Roque said.
Last month, it was reported that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is working on an electronic QR code capable version of the vaccine card.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) supported the measure to ensure the database for vaccination cards will be centralized and can be verified.
New guidelines
IN a related development, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued the guidelines for the validation of the vaccination cards of overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) were tasked to conduct the validation process.
He said OFWs, who are fully vaccinated in countries or jurisdictions outside the Philippines, must carry their official documentation of complete vaccination or their International Certificate of Vaccination validated through the POLO.
They must also present their valid passport or travel document and verified employment contract.
“The application for validation must be made online via ONEHEALTHPASS PORTAL, which is accessible at https://www.onehealthpass.com.oh/e-HDC/,” Bello said in a statement.
The IATF reduced the facility quarantine period of travelers, who were vaccinated abroad and stayed exclusively in “green” areas (low risk for Covid-19) in the past 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, from the average 10 days to just 7 days.