Law enforcement agencies should step up the crackdown on fake vaccination cards now that they are being used as passports for entry and to roam in areas under Alert Level 3, senatorial aspirant Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said.
He cited various cases in the past wherein fake swab test results are being fabricated and sold to people for domestic travel. In some cases, those who used fake swab test results ended up turning positive for coronavirus.
"if this was done before for swab test results, this will definitely be done again, this time, for vaccination cards," said Eleazar.
"There is really a need to step up the campaign against individuals and groups who manufacture and sell fake vaccination cards and those who are planning to use them," said Eleazar.
Eleazar issued the reminder after the Philippine National Police directed its personnel to check for the proof of vaccination of travelers who wish to enter the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bulacan.
NCR and Bulacan along with Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal provinces have been placed under the stricter Alert Level 3 until January 15 to contain the surge of cases amid the threat of the Omicron variant. Dagupan City, City of Santiago, Cagayan, Olongapo City, Angeles City, Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales, Naga City, Iloilo City, Lapu-Lapu City, Batangas, Lucena City, and Baguio City will also be placed under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 9 to 15.
Eleazar, a former PNP chief, urged the police force to intensify their checkpoints to ensure the implementation of the safety protocols for the traveling public.
Under the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases Law, any individual caught falsifying, tampering, or using a fake vaccination card shall face penalties which include fine of P20,000 to 50,000 or imprisonment of one to six months, or both.
For public officers and employees or licensed professionals who committed such act, they will be meted a higher penalty while an administrative case shall be filed with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) or Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for the revocation of their license or eligibility.
Eleazar, who uses his reach as a Partido Reporma candidate to advocate for COVID-19 vaccination, also encouraged unvaccinated individuals to get their vaccine so they could finally be protected against the viral illness.