The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday vowed to intensify its crackdown against persons engaged in producing fake reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results and medical certificates.
“As a law enforcement agency, we will comply with the instruction of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Bernardo Florece Jr., to enforce the law, specifically those who violate RA (Republic Act) 11332 and other related laws,” PNP spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana, said in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Those responsible for this act would face fines ranging from PHP20,000 to PHP50,000 and up to six months imprisonment under Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.
Section 1-b under prohibited acts of RA 11332 stipulates that “tampering of records relating to notifiable diseases or health events of public health concern, which includes official medical test results or medical certificates, or such other documents and records issued by public health authorities” is punishable by law.
“(It can be) either the offenders are caught ‘in flagrante’ (in the act) through covert police operations or the witnesses will report to us individuals engaged in falsification of public documents or faking electronically generated results of RT-PCR,” Usana told PNA when sought for a comment.
On Monday, Florece said fakers of RT-PCT tests, once caught, will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. He said the PNP must ensure that all perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice.
Florece said the PNP must be vigilant in guarding entry points of tourists and travelers to ensure their compliance with health standards set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the local government unit.
This came as six Metro Manila residents were earlier barred from entering Boracay Island after presenting fake RT-PCR test certifications. Last week, three of these individuals tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Florece said the reopening of tourism sites is not an excuse for tourists to submit fake Covid-19 test results just to be able to visit these areas. (PNA)
