EMPLOYEES reporting for work are exempted from the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) “No Vaccination, No Ride” policy in Metro Manila, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III yesterday said, a day after the directive took effect.
Bello, in a virtual briefing with Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, said workers are “essential” to spur the recovery of the country’s economy.
“They are exempted po, ang mga workers natin (our workers), because they are rendering essential service,” Bello said, adding individuals going to work only need to present their company identification cards to prove that their travel is essential.
The DOTr has restricted unvaccinated individuals from riding land, sea, rail and air public transports in the National Capital Region (NCR) in support of the restrictions imposed by Metro Manila mayors on the movements of persons who have not been inoculated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while the capital region is under Alert Level 3.
The public transportation ban is in effect while the NCR is under Alert Level 3 and when the alert level is upgraded to level 4 or 5.
Bello said the exemption of unvaccinated workers from the policy will not defeat the DOTr’s strategy to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and protect the unvaccinated from the deadly virus because unvaccinated individuals are required to undergo RT-PCR test every two weeks and present a negative result before they are allowed to report to work.
“Kapag hininto mo ang mga iyan, paano gagalaw ang ating mga negosyo. Kapag walang negosyo walang ekonomiya (If you stop them, how can businesses operate? If there are no businesses, there will be no economy),” Bello said.
Bello said there should be a better information drive to inform DOTr and police personnel implementing the policy on the ground about the exemption of workers.
Transport Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran said the restriction was properly coordinated with the DOLE before it was implemented.
“The policy is anchored on Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines which were approved by agencies such as DOTr and DOLE,” Libiran said in a text message.
“An employee of an industry allowed to operate under Alert Level 3 can still board public transport, even if unvaccinated, provided that he/she can present proof that he/she is going to work, such as a company ID or a Certificate of Employment (COE),” she said.
She said the workers’ companies must belong to industries allowed by the Department of Trade and Industry to operate under Alert Level 3.
Libiran also said unvaccinated individuals or partially vaccinated persons are allowed to ride public utility vehicles for essential travel, such as for medical checkup and examinations, to avail of government services such as applying for license and passport, for availing of essential goods and services, and for work.
The unvaccinated individuals need to present proof such as ID, medical appointment, certificate/appointment from the company interview or exam, or health pass from their barangays that you will obtain essential goods, among others.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the IATF is due to discuss whether to exempt workers from the DOTr guideline.
“He (Bello) may have been misquoted. But anyway, we have an IATF meeting on Thursday, we will iron that out,” said Año.
Año said workers are not supposed to be exempted from the DOTr policy. “If you are worker, you have to be vaccinated. You are not going to be allowed (to ride public vehicles if you are not vaccinated),” he said.
Año said unvaccinated workers can be allowed to ride public transportation vehicles only if they have a negative RT-PCR test.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday defended the DOTr policy, saying the government has the power to regulate the movement of unvaccinated people.
He explained that while an individual has the right to refuse vaccination, the government also has the power to regulate their movement if it is in the interest of public health and safety and for the benefit of the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
This as Guevarra noted that there is no restriction on travel for unvaccinated person, just restriction on access to public transport.
“The underlying classification is between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, and between them a huge and substantial distinction exists. The unvaccinated are not absolutely prohibited from availing themselves of public transport, provided that they have passes to show that they are out to obtain essential goods and services, like food and medicine or that they have medical certification showing that they could not be vaccinated for health or medical reasons,” he said.
This even as he stressed that under existing laws operators of public transports are bound to carry their passengers safely to their destinations.
“And safely means freedom not only from accidental injury but also from transmissible diseases,” he added.
At the same time, Guevarra said the DOTr authority to enforce the policy comes from Administrative Code 292, and indirectly, from Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern as a member of the IATF.
POLICE MARSHALS
The PNP said it will deploy police marshals in public transportation vehicles for stricter implementation of the public transportation ban in the NCR.
“We will do this in the coming days of course,” PNP spokesman Col. Roderick Alba said in a radio interview, referring to deployment of plainclothes policemen who will be riding public vehicles.
“We will not announce exactly when and where. They are marshals who will be monitoring to ensure drivers and passengers are complying (with the policy),” Alba also said.
Alba said the “mystery riders” will also take note of the plate number of the vehicle boarded by unvaccinated passengers. He said the vehicle will be reported to authorities, referring to transportation officials.
Police earlier said the first day of the implementation of the policy last Monday was generally peaceful. Some unvaccinated individuals caught riding public transportation vehicles but were merely warned and sent home.
Alba said policemen did not arrest any violator, noting that they are merely on the “warning phase” only.
“Expect that we will fully-implement this policy on the coming week,” said Alba.
“It should be noted that on Day 1 of implementation of the no vax, no ride policy in the NCR on Monday, no arrests were recorded despite expanded deployment of PNP units and personnel to public transportation hubs and terminals across Metro Manila,” said Alba in a statement.
Alba said the standing guidance to PNP units and personnel is “to deny boarding and conveyance to passengers who cannot present valid proof of vaccination.”
“No arrests will be effected except for specific violations of law that authorize lawful arrest of offenders,” said Alba.
He assured that policemen will allow unvaccinated individual to ride the public transportation vehicles if they meet the criteria for them to be exempted from the policy.
“Unvaccinated passengers who meet the criteria for exception to the policy are allowed to board and take the trip, such as those with medical conditions that prevent full vaccination; and persons who will procure essential goods and services,” said Alba.
TRANSPORT HUBS
Sen. Francis Pangilinan urged the government to setup vaccination sites in transportation hubs and other places of convergence to make vaccines more accessible to the public instead of enforcing the no vaccination, no ride policy.
“If the government is really serious to stop COVID-19, there should be daily vaccinations in bus terminals like the PITX [Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange]. In other countries, walk-in vaccinations are allowed even in pharmacies, while here in our country, vaccination will depend on the schedule to be given by the LGU [local government unit],” Pangilinan said.
“We cannot stop COVID if the government is insensitive to its people. The basic steps we have to do, and I have been always saying this, is to have mass testing, contact tracing, isolate the infected, and vaccines. It’s already 2022 but nothing has happened,” Pangilinan added. — With Noel Talacay, Myla Iglesias, Victor Reyes, Ashzel Hachero and Raymond Africa
