Faking your RT-PCR test is a crime and is punishable by law, the DILG reminds Filipinos after a recent incident in Boracay where three tourists were caught with forged RT-PCR tests. When they were brought into custody, all three tested positive for COVID-19. They are currently in quarantine. Boracay, as most tourist destinations currently open to travelers, requires a negative RT-PCR test for entry.
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RT-PCR Booth at NAIA
DILG Officer-in-Charge and Undersecretary Bernardo Florece, Jr. has instructed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to “prosecute to the fullest extent of the law” anyone caught faking their test results, adding that the police should “do its utmost to ensure that all perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice.”
Submitting forged or false documents relating to the pandemic is a violation under the Republic Act No. 11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act and Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. Republic Act No. 11332 states that “tampering of records relating to notifiable diseases or health events of public health concern, which includes official medical test results or medical certificates, or such other documents and records issued by public health authorities” is a crime that can send any violator behind bars.
“Huwag po tayong matigas ang ulo. Magpa-test po tayo para sa kabutihan nyo, ng inyong pamilya, at ng lahat,” DILG Undersecretary Florece adds. (Don’t be stubborn. Get tested. It’s not just for you. It’s for the sake of your family and everyone else’s too.)
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