As host countries are becoming stricter in allowing travelers into their territories, Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles appealed to the national government to exempt Overseas Filipino Workers from paying fees imposed for the issuance of vaccination certificates.
In the Philippines, the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis of the World Health Organization (WHO) is being issued by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) for outbound travelers as proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. The certificate, which functions as a medical passport, is also known internationally as Yellow Card or Carte Jaune. Anyone who wishes to get a yellow card has to pay P370, of which P300 is the ‘documentary stamp fee’ while P70 is called a ‘convenience fee.’
“We should spare OFWs from paying these fees. It is but a small help for them in being one of the strongest pillars of the Philippine economy for decades. Besides, the faster we are able to deploy them, the quicker they will be able to help the economy,” Nograles, an assistant majority leader, said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs disclosed that Hong Kong, one of the top OFW destinations, will not honor vaccination cards issued by local governments because these did not come from a single source. In an advisory issued earlier this month, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) charted the guidelines for outbound travelers, including OFWs, from the Philippines. The guidelines provide that while the government is preparing a single portal for vaccination records, the BOQ will issue yellow cards.
“We need to understand that many of our OFWs have waited for months for them to travel back to their places of work. This may mean some of them are already exhausting their savings to make ends meet. Three hundred seventy pesos is so small compared to the millions of dollars they contribute to our economy. As such, it is just right to assist our modern-day heroes who are not spared from the hardships brought about by the pandemic,” Nograles added.