MMDA chair says vaccination ID for NCR may be ready by September 1
MANILA, Philippines — Digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates or IDs for the National Capital Region may be issued on September 1, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos said.
In an interview with Dobol B TV on Tuesday, Abalos said they are coordinating with Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic on the matter.
“All who have been vaccinated in the whole of Metro Manila are being uploaded. They are collating data in Metro Manila so that, they told us, by September 1, the I.D., the vaccination I.D. can be created,” Abalos said in Filipino.
The MMDA chair also said they asked the DICT if the I.D. can feature where local government units can also check whether a person received his COVID-19 jabs in a different locality.
This will help prevent those who are seeking a third dose or booster shots that are still not yet authorized in the Philippines.
Detained Sen. Leila De Lima last weekend also urged the DICT to fast-track the issuance of vaccination certifications to prevent the falsification of vaccination documents and ensure that overseas Filipino workers will not face further challenges when traveling.
In her resolution, De Lima also cited the case of a man who received two doses of Sinovac from the local government of Mandaluyong but was able to secure another dose of Moderna at a vaccination site in Quezon City, reportedly through his company.
She added: “The availability of a centralized database of COVID-19 vaccinations will allow law enforcement units to efficiently identify and verify [the] truthfulness of presented vaccination cards, discourage and apprehend individuals who are faking said documents, and sustain the progress and efforts that the government has made in the vaccination program."
Citing difficulties with LGU's compliance and poor regional coverage of the DICT, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on August 13 said OFWs will be using government-issued “yellow cards” issued by the Bureau of Quarantine while the government works on a unified vaccine card. — Kristine Joy Patag with reports from Bella Perez-Rubio
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