A lawmaker is proposing to make the yellow cards being issued by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to be free of charge.
“The P370 total charge for the Bureau of Quarantine yellow card should be “charged against funds of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration,” BHW party-list representative Natasha Co said in a statement.
“Tutol akong may charge pa ang Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) yellow card para sa OFWs. Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, hindi na dapat pasanin iyan ng OFWs. Libre dapat yan. POEA o OWWA ang dapat magbayad nyan at hindi dapat kaltasin sa future sweldo o remittances ng OFWs,” she added.
Co is also among the 30 lawmakers who are seeking an investigation to probe the BOQ contract with PisoPay.
She also calls on the DICT to expedite the rollout of unified vaccination cards for Filipinos.
Co also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to make sure that yellow cards or vaccination cards from the Philippines will be recognized.
“Yan ay para hindi magkaroon ng problema ang mga non-OFWs na may electronic or card copy ng VaxCertPH. We need a reliable and trusted vaccine passport to facilitate travel locally and with the rest of the world. Since that will take a long time and lots of funds we do not have,” she said.
