MANILA – Malacañang said on Tuesday that the Philippine government is collaborating with the international community to accept vaccination cards issued to people who have already been completely vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
After Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. confirmed Hong Kong does not recognize vaccination cards issued by local government units of the Philippines and the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque issued the statement.
“Well, nakakalungkot na balita po iyan (that is sad news),” Roque said in a virtual presser. “So, all I can say is nakikipag-ugnayan po ang gobyerno sa international community pagdating dito (we are coordinating with the international community on this issue).”
Locsin said in a Twitter post that the vaccination cards given to fully vaccinated Filipinos are “not accepted in Hong Kong because they are not related to a single source”.
After Hong Kong lifted its travel ban on the Philippines on Monday, enabling around 3,000 stranded Filipino workers to fly back to their employers, Locsin issued the statement.
According to Roque, issues with the presentation of vaccination cards to host countries affect not only the Philippines but also other countries.
Nonetheless, he stated that the government is looking for solutions to the problem.
“We are finding ways and means now para magkaroon po tayo ng basehan na kilalanin yung ating mga vaccination card (so our vaccination cards will be recognized [by other countries],” Roque said.
He also expressed hope that the World Health Organization (WHO) will take steps to ensure that vaccination cards are accepted in a “uniform” manner.
“Problema po talaga kapag wala tayong standard na basehan para ipakita ang ating mga vaccination natin (It is really a problem if we do not have a standard basis in presenting our vaccination cards),” he said.
In an advisory, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) stated it is providing yellow cards to departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been completely vaccinated against Covid-19.
When the host country requires it, the POEA encouraged fully vaccinated OFWs to secure the BOQ-issued International Certificate of Vaccination, also known as the “yellow card”.
OFWs who are fully vaccinated can schedule an appointment with BOQ at https://boq.pisopay.com.ph/. For the yellow card to be processed, they must pay a cost of PHP300.
