EOC: You may be sued if you don’t fill out your health forms properly

This is a health form with false information in Cebu City. | Photo Courtesy of Councilor Joel Garganera

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) urged the public to fill out health forms properly when entering an establishment that would require them to do so.

This after the EOC had a difficult time tracing the clients of an establishment after the forms were filled with false information with names of fictional characters like “Bruce Wayne,” “Optimus Prime,” and “Doctor Strange.”

Mayor Edgardo Labella already warned the public that putting false information in these public documents could be punishable by law especially since the health forms might be considered public documents.

“That can be considered falsification of public documents. It is very important that they place the right information because that would help our contact tracers find them should the establishment have a positive COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) case,” said the mayor.

Councilor Joel Garganera, EOC head, said those, who would not provide accurate and proper information in contact tracing forms, might be punished under Section 9(b) of RA (Republic Act) 11332 otherwise known as Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act and (b) Tampering of records or intentionally providing misinformation.

The act of providing accurate information in the health forms is a small but crucial contribution that people can do to help the city government prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“However, we would like to shift the responsibility to the establishment to ensure that those entering their premises will provide accurate info because this is for their own good. The EOC would therefore recommend establishments to ask for a valid ID before entry and check the forms if they were completely filled,” said Garganera.

The EOC urged the public to help the city government by properly filling up the forms so when these forms will be needed for contact tracing, the EOC will not have difficulties looking for the people affected./dbs

Read: EOC warns government personnel: Cooperate with contact tracing or else…