THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to immediately arrest individuals faking reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results.
In a statement, DILG Undersecretary Bernardo Florece Jr. said they will make sure that those who deliberately secured fake test results would be prosecuted and jailed.
“Huwag n’yo na pong gawin at kung hindi, sisiguraduhin po namin na makukulong kayo. Huwag po tayong matigas ang ulo. Magpa-test po tayo para sa kabutihan n’yo, ng inyong pamilya, at ng lahat,” he said.
This is a violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act. The penalty is P20,000 to P50,000 fine or imprisonment of one month to six months, or both fine and imprisonment.
Punishable acts include the tampering of records relating to notifiable diseases or health events of public health concern such as official medical test results or medical certificates, or such other documents and records issued by public health authorities.
Florece urged the PNP and other law enforcement units to be more vigilant in guarding entry points of tourists and travelers to ensure that people are abiding by the standards set by the IATF and the local government unit (LGU) and are compliant with minimum health standards.
Six tourists from Metro Manila were intercepted before they could enter Boracay Island after they presented fake RT-PCR test results. Three of them later tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)