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House bill filed providing vaccine passports for COVID-19, other infectious diseases


A measure was filed at the House of Representatives providing immunization or vaccine passports to persons who would receive vaccine shots in order to systematize the implementation of the country's mass vaccination for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Ang Probinsyano party-list Representative Ronnie Ong on Monday filed House Bill 8280, wherein he stressed the need for an unhampered implementation and maximization of the government's COVID-19 immunization program.

"Although the COVID-19 inoculation is still a few months away from entering our borders, it is but proper to take further preparations and necessary steps for its unhampered implementation and maximization," Ong said.

"In line with this, it is our hope that this bill will be considered and approved the soonest possible time before the possible roll out of the vaccine on June 2021 in order to restore people’s trust and confidence to travel with the end view of reviving and bolstering our economy,” he added.

Ong said the vaccine passport may be used as an identification system that allows people to access public facilities and participate in mass gatherings without needing face masks or face shields.

In effect, the vaccine passport will serve as proof that the holder is safe to mingle with other people and engage in activities even without wearing face masks or face shields and observing social distancing.

Under the measure, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on COVID-19, particularly the Department of Health, Department of Tourism, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Transportation, is mandated to “coordinate and provide for a single internationally-recognized vaccine passport to serve as proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19.”

The said vaccine passport should be issued "as a matter of right whether or not the person availed of the free vaccination program of the government or was vaccinated through personal and other means."

Contents of the vaccine passport should include the basic personal information of the holder such as full name, address, date of birth; type and purpose of vaccine, batch number, date administered and the name of the entity that administered the vaccine; and other relevant medical information.

The IATF is also mandated under the measure to list down and regularly update the exemptions or activities allowed for holders of the COVID-19 vaccine passport, including:

  • International and domestic travel, including non-essential travel;
  • Employment abroad;
  • Local checkpoint and quarantine exemptions;
  • Opening of and Access to some business establishments; and
  • Post-vaccination protocols applicable to Vaccine Passport holders, as may be determined by the IATF, in relation to rules on public gatherings, use of face mask and face shield, etc.
  • Production and possession of forged or fake vaccine passport will be penalized under RA 8239 or the Passport Act of 1996, the measure indicated.

These acts may also serve as grounds for the IATF to deny a vaccine passport application, or revoke an already issued one, it added. --KBK, GMA News

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