The country’s national vaccine certificate system had its soft launch for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), as well as international travelers from Metro Manila and Baguio City on Monday (Sept. 6).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a public briefing on Monday that the digital vaccine certificate, VaxCertPH, will be opened to the general public soon.
“Bibigyang prayoridad sa unang phase ng pagpapatupad ng VaxCertPH ang [OFWs] at mga Pilipinong aalis pa-ibang bansa kung saan ang place of residence ay Metro Manila at Baguio City. Bubuksan ito sa general public at iba pang mga bagay at a later time,” Roque said.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), developer of VaxCertPH, said it is “directed to ensure that private establishments be given access with the public key in order to provide a manner for confirming authenticity of vaccination certificates purportedly obtained using VaxCertPH.”
In a separate statement, DICT Undersecretary Manny Caintic said the digital certificate will follow the standards set by the World Health Organization.
“Ang kagandahan sa digital certificate, makakasigurado ang ibang bansa na ito’y issued by the country’s Ministry of Health,” Caintic added.
DICT Undersecretary Manny Caintic on Tuesday (Sept. 7) showed an overview of the VaxCertPH, and said that a person’s vaccination details will be based on the Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS) central database.
VaxCertPH is divided into two: upper portion and lower portion, where personal information and vaccine details are indicated.
“Ang VaxCertPH ay inyong digital vaccine certificate na gumagamit ng QR code at may nakapaloob na mga security measures kagaya ng paggamit ng private and public key. Ito po ay libre at maaaring ma-access sa ating self-service portal. Ang nilalaman po ng inyong VaxCertPH ay ang vaccination status,” Caintic said.
Currently, VaxCertPH only accepts registrations from fully vaccinated individuals.
Caintic explained that information of some COVID-19-vaccinated individuals may be inaccurate from the data submitted in VIMS central database. In this case, the local government unit (LGU) will correct the vaccinee’s details.
In the event that a fully vaccinated person does not appear in the VIMS, the LGU will have to input all the necessary information in the system.
Caintic clarified that VaxCertPH and yellow cards issued by the Bureau of Quarantine are different from each other, thus, travelers must secure all these documents when going to another country.
“Ang taong may dala ng kanyang VaxCert ay kailangan pa rin magpakita ng pasaporte o ‘di kaya ID para patunayan ang kanyang sariling identity at sa ngayon ay hindi po gagamitin ang VaxCert upang palitan ang yellow card na ini-issue ng BOQ para sa iba pang mga bakuna kagaya rin po ng aking mga nabanggit kanina,” he explained. – Report from Patrick de Jesus and Allan Francisco / CF -rirs
