ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 9 (PIA) – The Zamboanga City Tourism Office reported around 30 inbound individuals who were caught with fake entry documents.

Mayor Beng Climaco earlier warned travelers against using fake RT PCR test results, citing the city will impose measures on violators.

“We need to impose disciplinary actions because we do not want them to spread the virus and likewise be contracted with the virus in the city,” she said.

City Tourism Officer Sarita Sebastian reported that more or less 50 violators have been reprimanded in the last few months and that violators were issued citation tickets, fined, and asked to go back to their point of origin. The violators will also be “blacklisted” in Zamboanga City, according to the city tourism officer.

Meanwhile, Department of Health IX (DOH IX) Medical Officer Dr. Aaron Jess Khalil Curay supports the recent recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases that fully vaccinated individuals need not present swab test results if they want to travel within the Philippines.

However, he added additional safeguards must be in place to ensure the validity of the presented documents with regards to vaccination. DOH-9 clarifies that minimum standards must still be in place.

“There is still a chance to get the virus even we are fully immunized,” Curay said. (EDT/MLE/PIA9-Zamboanga City)