The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clarified on Tuesday that the vaccination cards of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW) still need to be validated by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
Based on IATF Resolution No. 123-C, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said OFWs must present their official documentation or certificate of vaccination to prove they have completed the vaccination against COVID-19.
Apart from the vaccination card or any proof that the OFW has been vaccinated, returning OFWs must also present their valid passport or travel document.
He also said that the verified employment contract must be presented to the POLO offices in their host country.
According to the DOLE, the application for validation can be made through the “Onehealthpass portal.”
Under DOLE Department Order No. 226 series of 2021, an OFW can be considered “fully vaccinated” if he has completed 2-doses of vaccine or single-dose vaccine and 2 weeks have passed.
Also read: BI clarifies validated vaccination cards must be presented upon arrival
DOLE to validate vaccination card of returning OFWs
Those vaccinated outside the Philippines must also come from the list of 57 “green” countries to undergo a 7-day facility-based quarantine only.
These countries are Albania, American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Benin, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Gambia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Hongkong, Iceland, Isle of Man, Israel, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Rwanda, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Singapore, Saint Eustatius, South Korea, Taiwan, Togo, Turks, and Caicos Islands (UK), Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Bureau of Immigration said that passengers fully vaccinated abroad who stayed exclusively in any of these 57 places within the past 14 days immediately preceding their arrival shall undergo a seven-day facility-based quarantine.
Hence, Morente said that they would only need to present a 7-day booking in a government-accredited quarantine hotel or facility during primary immigration inspection when they arrive in the country.
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