Businessman faces rap for forging workers’ vax documents

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato, Philippines — A massage parlor owner here is facing a complaint for falsification of public documents after he allegedly forged the signature of the city health officers so his employees could avail of COVID-19 vaccines.

Lawyer Jose Paolo Evangelista, city legal officer, filed the complaint against Gerard Candelon for allegedly tampering with the medical clearances of his 12 workers.

The complaint stemmed from an incident on July 31 at Notre Dame of Kidapawan College, one of the city’s vaccination hubs, where Candelon allegedly threatened health workers.

Evangelista said the businessman insisted that his workers be given the vaccine and presented medical certificates supposedly signed by Dr. Jocelyn Encienzo, the city health officer.

“He wanted his workers to avail of the vaccine under A3, the category for adults with comorbidities under the vaccination rollout of the city government,” Evangelista said.

Falsified certificates

Encienzo denied giving medical certificates to the group although she admitted issuing a medical certificate to the massage parlor owner’s business partner on July 30.

The city health officer said her signature was forged and the medical certificates presented to the health workers at the hub were all photocopied.

Evangelista said the businessman created a scene after he was told that his workers could not be vaccinated due to the falsified medical certificates that he presented. Kidapawan is still completing the vaccine rollout for the A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) categories while nearby areas are already inoculating those under the A4 category (essential workers) in their populations. This prompted some Kidapawan residents to seek out vaccines in areas outside the city.

Encienzo clarified that the 12 employees of the massage parlor were not included in the complaint.

When reached by the Inquirer, Candelon said he would face the complaint in the proper forum.In Davao City, Mayor Sara Duterte warned local government employees against collecting any amount from people who wanted to be vaccinated, saying this was illegal.

Duterte learned that some employees had been collecting P120 supposedly for snacks of those administering the vaccines.

“We reminded city government employees that soliciting money from the people, no matter how small the amount, constitutes graft and corruption,” she said during her weekly radio program on Monday. “We don’t have that kind of policy, that is prohibited.” —REPORTS FROM WILLIAMOR A. MAGBANUA AND CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO