DAVAO CITY - Another air passenger was caught by authorities with a fake real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result at the Davao International Airport.
In a report by the City Information Office, City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson confirmed to them that a female passenger "who boarded the first Cebu Pacific flight from Manila on Monday morning, presented a negative RT-PCR result dated December 5 from Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Mandaluyong City."
Upon their online validation, however, the said document turned out to be owned by another person.
“In our verification counters, we ask for the hard or soft copy of the submitted RT-PCR result of their health declaration form and scan it. In this recent case, after we scanned (the test result) a different name came out in the QR,” she said.
This was the third incident where a passenger using a fake RT-PCR test result was caught in Davao, Tecson said.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Monday warned arriving plane passengers not to falsify their COVID-19 test results.
“There is really no reason kung ngano mag- effort sila or mupalit sila o mokuha sila o magbuhat sila anang mga fake RT-PCR results. Dili jud ni sya ginapalampas, ginapareport nato og ginapasakaan og kaso. Mas mudako na ilang problema (There is really no reason for them to make such an effort to buy, get, or make fake RT-PCR) results. We don’t give any consideration to that, we report it, and file a case. They will now face a bigger problem),” she said during her Davao City Disaster Radio program Monday.
The violators were brought to the police station for investigation. Tecson said the case was filed and the latest violator "had to post bail for her temporary liberty."
Tecson reminded the public that faking RT-PCR results poses threat to the public.
“What if they’re positive and they continue to go around? It would be very unfortunate for their families and those they encounter in public transportation, in malls, and offices,” she said.