6 persons with fake COVID-19 vax cards caught in Bacolod

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BACOLOD CITY — Six persons, including a pastor, were caught Thursday with fake COVID-19 vaccination cards in this city.

Em Ang, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) executive director, said the pastor, his wife, and child went to an EOC help desk on the third floor of SM City to ask for vaccination certificates needed for travel to China.

Their names could not be found in the EOC database of vaccinated persons.

They later admitted that they just bought the cards for P700 each because they did not believe in vaccination.

“They needed the vaccination certificates because the pastor is a teacher in China and has to travel,” Ang said.

Another family of three also went to the help desk to secure vaccination certificates. The vaccination cards they presented were also found to be fake, Ang said.

The family admitted that they were not vaccinated and purchased the cards for P1,000 each.

“They were assured by a barangay nurse vaccinator that, although they were not vaccinated, their names would be uploaded into the EOC database,” Ang said.

Ang said they have information on the sources of the fake vaccinations cards of the two families and the name of the alleged nurse. They asked the police to investigate the matter.

Violators could face charges for falsifying public documents and violating Republic Act 11332, which provides policies and prescribes procedures on surveillance and response to notifiable diseases.

“Jail time and fines await those falsifying public documents,” Ang said.

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