Robredo bats for issuance of BOQ vaccination card

Facade of the Bureau of Quarantine building (Photo from the BOQ website)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo suggested on Sunday that the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis or “yellow card” from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) be issued after an individual received his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

“Ang suggestion ko lang habang patuloy pa din ‘yung pagpapabakuna, gawin na ito na pagkatapos ng second dose, gawan na nila ng paraan—yellow card ‘yun, yellow card o kung ano man na card ‘yung acceptable internationally—dun na ibigay,” Robredo said in the Biserbisyong Leni program.

(My suggestion is that after the second dose—a yellow card or any card accepted internationally—should already be issued.)

Vice President Leni Robredo (Screengrab from OVP)

This, after Hong Kong said that it will not recognize the Philippines’ vaccination card as it is not unified.

Fully vaccinated individuals may apply for a yellow card with the BOQ if their country of destination requires proof of vaccination.

The “yellow card” is a document that certifies a person’s vaccination status.

Robredo raised that there should be an interoperability between local government units and the BOQ to hasten the release of the card.

Moreover, the vice president hoped for a single database of persons inoculated in the whole nation to expedite the process.

“Sana this early, magkaroon na ng isa lang na database sa buong bansa ng nababakunahan at i-decentralize na ito. Pwede naman na Bureau of Quarantine pa din yung nag-iissue. Pero hindi na ‘yung lahat ng nagpabakuna, lahat yan maga-apply ng hiwalay sa Bureau of Quarantine kasi sa’kin dino-doble natin ‘yung trabaho,” Robredo said.

(I hope this early, we have a single database of those vaccinated in the entire country and de-centralize it. The Bureau of Quarantine may still be the one to issue [the cards]. But, not all vaccinees should apply separately to the Bureau of Quarantine because we are doubling the work.)

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