Palace: Jail time awaits COVID-19 vaccine card forgers

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. warned travelers against faking COVID-19 vaccination cards when crossing borders, saying such is a grave crime which carries heavy penalties including jail time.

Roque issued the warning following the government's decision to allow individuals who have completed their two doses of COVID-19 to travel to and from General Community Quarantine and Modified General Community Quarantine (GCQ and MGCQ) areas without presenting a negative RT-PCR test result, provided that they present their COVID-19 vaccination card.

"Well, unang-una, nagbibigay po ako ng babala doon sa mga mamimeke – iyan po’y isang public document. So kapag kayo po’y nameke ng vaccination card, that’s falsification of a public document – medyo mataas po ang kulong diyan," Roque said.

(I am warning against those who falsify such documents. That vaccination card is a public document. When you fake that, that is falsification of public document, and that means long jail time.)

"Uulitin ko po, falsification of a public document iyan, mataas po, mahaba ang kulong diyan – huwag naman po kayong magpakaloboso (I repeat, such would mean a very long jail time)," he added.

Under the Revised Penal Code, the jail time for those found guilty of falsification of public documents ranges from two to six years.

Roque, however, conceded that there are concerns over the easing of rules for fully vaccinated individuals by scrapping the negative RT-PCR test result.

"We have heard concerns and this will be discussed by the IATF," Roque said.

Roque was referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force which is the policy body of the government in its COVID-19 response.

Among the concerns raised by some people is the fact that health experts have said that fully vaccinated individuals, though already spared from severe symptoms and hospitalization, can still carry the virus and infect other people. -MDM, GMA News