Gordon bill increases penalties for falsification of medical certificates amid nat’l health emergencies

Senator Richard Gordon has filed a bill increasing the penalties for falsification of medical certificates, including test results, and vaccination cards during national health emergencies.

In his explanatory note, Gordon said these violations were already punishable under Article 174 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), imposing arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period and a fine of not over P200,000.

But he filed Senate Bill 2315 due to reports of proliferation of fake COVID-19 test results in various parts of the country amid the pandemic.

“However, considering the capacity of the proliferation of fake COVID-19 tests to undermine the government's efforts to address the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the undersigned deems it necessary to increase the penalty in the falsification of medical certificates in times of a declared National Health Emergency such as the on-going COVID-19 pandemic,” Gordon wrote.

SB 2315 seeks to insert a provision in Article 174 of the RPC which will impose prision correccional in its medium period to prision correccional in its maximum period and a fine of not over P250,000 to persons, physicians, or surgeons who are found falsifying medical certificates, test result, and vaccination card during the time of a duly declared national health emergencies.

The bill stated that falsified medical certificate, test result, and vaccination card must “bear importance in the mitigation/resolution or efforts of the government to address the declared national health emergency.”

If the violation was committed by a group of three or more, SB 2315 proposes a penalty of prision correccional in its maximum period and a fine of P1 million.—AOL, GMA News