Ang Probinsyano Partylist Rep. Ronnie Ong seeks the immediate passage of a measure that will create a national vaccination passport for Filipinos that other countries will recognize.
Ong made the call following reports that overseas Filipino workers cannot enter Hong Kong because authorities refuse to recognize the vaccination cards issued by local government units.
The congressman said that he filed House Bill 8280 even before the Philippines began to vaccinate people against the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) since he anticipated that vaccination passport or other forms of proof of vaccination will become part of the new normal when travelling.
"Had the government been more proactive in creating a national vaccination database and national vaccination card, our embattled OFWs in Hong Kong would have been allowed entry without any problem," Ong said.
House Bill 8280, also known as the Vaccine Passport Act, tasks various government agencies to provide for a 'single internanionally recognized vaccine passport' that can serves as proof that an individual has been inoculated against COVID-19.
Ong said that people should not blame Hong Kong for refusing to recognize the vaccination cards presented by inbound OFWs since authorities cannot verify the authenticity of the said documents.
The lawmaker also mentioned that Philippines has become notorious for faking government documents, and even pointed out that the country has cases of fake COVID-19 test results.
"Therefore, it is very important that we have credible proof of vaccination or a vaccination passport because I am sure this will soon be as important as our driver’s license under the new normal," Ong said.
