Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 6) — Malacañang on Tuesday issued a warning against individuals printing and presenting fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who is a lawyer, said the act is equivalent to falsification of a public document.
“Nagbibigay po ako ng babala doon sa mga mamemeke [I’m warning those who will fake vaccination cards]. That’s falsification of a public document… Mahaba ang kulong diyan [The penalty constitutes a long prison sentence],” he said in his regular briefing.
Under the Revised Penal Code, a public officer, employee or notary found guilty of falsifying a public document may serve time in prison for up to 12 years. Meanwhile, any private individual found to have committed the act may be jailed for up to six years.
Roque’s warning comes amid concerns that the recently released government guidelines which list perks for fully inoculated individuals may give rise to the illegal act.
The protocols include allowing those who have completed their immunization to present their vaccination card instead of undergoing the mandatory RT-PCR testing for “interzonal” domestic travel. Close contacts of a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case may also be subject to a shortened quarantine period if they are asymptomatic.
