NEGROS Occidental Provincial Incident Management Team head Zephard Caelian on Friday, January 21, 2022, said the two women who presented fake reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results at the Bredco Port in Bacolod City Thursday, January 20, will be facing appropriate charges.
Caelian said they already forwarded the case to the Provincial Legal Office for appropriate action and also coordinated with the police for further investigation.
Based on reports received by Caelian, the women, whose names were not disclosed, were travelling to a town in the province from Manila.
Upon arrival at the Bredco Port, the two presented RT-PCR test results, showing that they are negative for coronavirus, Caelian said.
But when the quick response (QR) codes of their documents were scanned, it showed that the two were actually infected with the virus, he said.
Caelian added that the women later admitted that they had their documents altered prior to travel.
“We pity their situation but we need to follow the Executive Order (of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on the RT-PCR test result requirement) to ensure the safety of the people in the province,” the official said.
Lacson earlier stood ground on his decision of requiring travelers from areas under Alert Level 3 in terms of Covid-19 transmission to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken 72 hours before their scheduled travel.
This was despite Negros Occidental and its capital Bacolod City are both under Alert Level 3.
Caelian advised those who tested positive for Covid-19 to delay their travel and wait for their full recovery instead.
He also warned against the alteration and production of fake RT-PCR tests and vaccination cards, saying that they will be meted with appropriate penalties.
For travelers whose trips were delayed that caused their RT-PCR tests to expire, the provincial government is shouldering their re-swabbing.