Locsin to formally request HK’s Carrie Lam to accept PH vaccine cards

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. will formally contact Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to request her government’s acceptance of Philippine-issued vaccination cards.

“I’ll ask Carrie Lam formally why not. I have always been supportive of her superb management of Hong Kong,” Locsin said in a tweet Wednesday.

I'll ask Carrie Lam formally why not. I have always been supportive of her superb management of Hong Kong. @DFAPHL @georgexpineda https://t.co/JXZ4tKyzDE

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) August 11, 2021

Locsin was responding to a netizen who asked what his “next step” is in light of Hong Kong’s refusal to accept vaccination cards from the Philippines.

On Tuesday, the foreign affairs chief said vaccination cards issued in the Philippines were “not accepted in Hong Kong because they are not connected to a single source.”

“Poor OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] going to their jobs in Hong Kong even if jabbed,” he tweeted.

Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong is now working to have the vaccination certificates issued by the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine recognized by the local authorities.

READ: PH seeking Hong Kong’s recognition of BOQ-issued vaccine certificates

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier said it was working on a standardized vaccination digital ID with QR code, as provided under the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021.

READ: Weak signal a problem for digital COVID-19 vax certificates

In the Philippines, local governments issue physical vaccination cards, which vary by locality.