Fake quarantine passes seized at checkpoint

CEBU, Philippines —  Despite the QR code security feature of the new quarantine passes to prevent counterfeiting, at least 46 fake passes were confiscated by police authorities at a checkpoint in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City yesterday.

Police Major Elisandro Quijano, commander of Abellana Police Station, said the number may increase as soon as the consolidated reports from all quarantine control points are in. No arrests were made for humanitarian reason but the bearers were warned that they will be charged if they are caught again in possession of fake quarantine pass.

According to Quijano, possession of fake quarantine pass is a violation of the enhanced community quarantine protocol that prohibits anyone from going out of their house without a valid pass unless they are authorized person outside residence (APOR).

"If istriktohon pa gyud, pwede sad sila makasohan sa possession of fake quarantine pass," Quijano said.

Genuine quarantine passes are identified not by scanning the QR code sticker but by manual visual examination.

Quijano said that fake ones are determined by comparing them to the printed and laminated original quarantine pass provided to them by the Cebu City government.

"Didto mi magbase sa katong Qpass code nga gamay nga sticker, nakabutang dira sa right side sa papel, the moment na imo na siya i-laminate muprotrude jud nang kilid anang mga sticker," said Quijano 

"Ang xerox ana kung imong ipa-laminate wala jud nay protruding, plain jud kaayo na sya sa tanan, hapsay kaayo na sya kanang QR code nga gibutang sa right side, so klaro kaayo sya, mailhan gyud nimo," he added.

The city government started distributing the new quarantine passes on June 26 after the previously issued quarantine passes were cancelled to limit the number of people going out of their homes.

The city printed 178,000 new passes, way below the 250,000 it earlier distributed, and promised to give each household. However, the number was not enough resulting in some households sharing a pass, especially condominium units.

Cebu City mayor Edgardo Labella explained that the printing of the new passes was based on the data provided by the Department of Health.

“Actually the 178,000 QR passes that we issued, the numbers of households we didn’t picked them up from the air, we based it on the database of the Department of Health. The DOH provided us with the database number of households in the city of Cebu,” said Labella.

Because of inadequate number of passes, Labella said they have allowed sharing of passes for condominiums and apartments.

“It is very difficult to determine the names and the number of people or sets of family, so there is a scheme that is now being employed through ABC president Franklyn Ong on apartments and condominiums in the city of Cebu like a sharing system,” said Labella.  FPL (FREEMAN)