Palace mulls mandatory vax for workers

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Nov. 13 (PIA) -- Amid the country’s campaign to secure COVID-19 vaccines, now that there is a fair number of jabs in the country’s inventory, Malacanang is reportedly finding ways to make vaccination mandatory.

Except for people who could provide sufficient justification to default from the jabs, the government is not sticking to a policy on forced vaccination.

Recently, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has announced that the Palace is eyeing on making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for government and private workers in areas with enough stocks of vaccines.

The move came after health officials reported that many people still refuse to get vaccinated.

Earlier in Bohol, during the time when the vaccines have yet to arrive, San Miguel Mayor Virgilio Mendez said he would force all his people to get vaccinated, and would use police powers of the state to ensure public health and safety among his constituents.

Mendez, who is a former National Bureau of Investigation director, said it is through discipline that government programs should thrive at.

But the Department of Labor and Employment in earlier pronouncements said workers cannot be forced into vaccination.

Roque, following the president’s position on an earlier telecast briefing earlier, said unvaccinated workers cannot be terminated, but considering that they could be carriers who could start infections in the workplace, Roque said they will be required to undergo regular RT-PCR or antigen testing at their own expense.

On the other hand, Department of Justice (DOJ) Sec. Menardo Guevarra said Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte was correct when he waived the police power of the state to protect a majority of the Filipino population from COVID-19 infection, but punishing people for their refusal to get the vaccines would need an enabling law.

Gueverra said Duterte can invoke the police power of the state to compel people to have themselves inoculated, but getting people who refuse to get the shots penalized is another story.

He said while it is the government’s constitutional mandate to protect the health and welfare of the people as the basis for the implementation of mandatory vaccination in the country, all the president can do is to persuade.

The Palace has accordingly said all eligible workers involved in public transportation services in the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors shall also be required to be fully vaccinated as a condition to continue operations.

Public and private establishments may refuse entry or deny service to people who remain unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated despite being eligible for the jab, Malacañang said. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)