BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and GERARD NAVAL
PRESIDENT Duterte on Tuesday night said private companies can refuse to hire unvaccinated job applicants as they will be protecting their companies and employees from the coronavirus diseases (COVID-19).
But it will be illegal to fire workers just because they are still unvaccinated, he said in his “Talk to the People” address.
“If you are not vaccinated and you are not accepted for work, I think that is legal. You (company) have the right to refuse, to accept as an employee somebody who is not vaccinated and would go and join the rest of the employees in the factory or a place or whatever workplace that you have as your business, and this guy would start to contaminate everybody,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
He said infection can lead to a quarantine of the workplace, and eventually to work stoppage.
Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said private sector employers have the prerogative to make COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for their applicants despite the absence of a law on compulsory vaccination.
“As with any job seeker applying for jobs, the employer will make a decision based on their qualification standard and other considerations,” said Tutay.
“We understand if they want to protect their existing workers, who are already vaccinated,” said added.
Tutay said the department also believes workers should be vaccinated “because that is an added layer of protection for them, especially that we are reopening up the economy.”
Duterte said business owners have the right to protect their property, their investments, their businesses and their employees.
“Itong COVID, it can contaminate again and again and again. Although every time it visits your body, and you have the bakuna (vaccine) already, the attack, the severity of the damage to your health, is lessened progressively,” he said.
Duterte acknowledged there are some sectors that refuse to be vaccinated because of their beliefs. He said government cannot force them to get jabbed and cannot fire workers who do not want to be vaccinated.
“As a lawyer I would say if you are already working and you refused to be vaccinated, well, that is too bad for the employer, but as labor lawyers say, strongly saying that you cannot be removed because you refuse be inoculated. That would be a violation of the law, and I think I agree with it,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
The government is aiming to fully vaccinate 54 million to 70 million individuals by the end of the year to achieve population protection.
As of November 9, some 29.8 million have been fully vaccinated or 38.64 percent of the targeted 70 percent of the population.
The country has already received at least 116 million doses of vaccines, including 3 million doses of the government-procured Sinovac vaccines that arrived yesterday.
A shipment of 866,970 doses of government-procured Pfizer vaccines was expected Wednesday night, and 866,970 doses of Pfizer vaccines on Thursday night.
15M VACCINEES IN 3 DAYS
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Tuesday night said the government aims to vaccinate some 15 million Filipinos in the from November 29 to December 1 nationwide vaccination drive “Bayanihan, Bakunahan.”
Galvez said 4,000 to 5,000 inoculation sites, including current vaccination centers, some government buildings, schools, arenas, and private facilities like malls and commercial establishments will be opened during the three-day operation.
He said other government agencies will be mobilized, like the Armed Forces, PNP, DOLE, Commission on Higher Education, and the social welfare department.
“Then also we will mobilize all government units starting from the provinces down to the different barangays. And then also, the Philippine Medical Association and also the different integrated associations, Philippine Nurses, the Philippine College of Physicians, the Philippine Pediatric Society and other medical allied personnel like Philippine Dental Association and also other private sector partners,” he added.
Galvez said the program aims also to address challenges and logistical limitations in areas with low vaccination rates.
He said an executive order or a Department of Health circular, if possible, will be issued to declare the November 29 to December 1 dates as a national holiday.
Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Glenda Relova said over 3.5 million beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program remain unvaccinated as of November 5.
Relova, during the “Laging Handa” public briefing, said they expect the number to increase as the government vaccination program is now open to the A5 priority group which covers the indigent sector.
She said DSWD is also looking at providing incentives to the 4Ps beneficiaries who would avail of themselves of the vaccine, like giving fully vaccinated individuals priority when it comes to department’s livelihood programs.
Relova also said DSWD will continue to provide cash aid to the 4Ps beneficiaries unless the 4Ps Act is amended.
She acknowledged a proposal of the Department of Interior and Local Government for 4Ps beneficiaries to be fully vaccinated first before they are given their subsidy.
She said that while DSWD is “open” to proposals that would increase the protection of the 4Ps beneficiaries, the current law does not require the full vaccination of beneficiaries.
INCENTIVES
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said local government units (LGUs) will step up advocacy campaign and pass ordinances giving incentives to people fully-vaccinated individuals to convince others to get vaccinated.
During President Duterte’s address on Tuesday night that was aired yesterday, Año said local chief executives pledged to work double time to vaccinate their constituents.
Año said some local executives whose LGUs are performing well in the vaccination drive have offered to help under-performing LGUs.
“We’re happy to hear from our mayors and government that they are ready to help nearby provinces, cities and municipalities to fast-track the administration of COVID-19 vaccines especially in LGUs that are lacking in manpower and logistical capabilities,” said Año.
In an interview yesterday, Año said the LGUs are aiming to “incentivize” fully-vaccinated individuals “by giving them preference in economic and social activities.”
“That is also to protect the unvaccinated. If they keep on going out though they are not yet vaccinated, they may be infected (by COVID-19),” he said.
To the unvaccinated, Año said. “Well, sad to say, we have to restrict their movement for their protection.” He said they may be also denied of some incentives if they refuse to be vaccinated.
Año supported pronouncement of acting Cebu City mayor Michael Rama that he would not release the Christmas bonus of city government employees until they are vaccinated.
Rama said the city government has set aside P100 million for Christmas bonus of some 5,000 employees but vowed he “won’t release the bonus until all city employees are vaccinated.” Rama noted that giving bonuses is the prerogative of the city government.
Año said, “Mayor Rama said he won’t give the bonus unless you’re vaccinated. That is just right. You don’t want to be vaccinated, so you wont be getting bonus.”
BOOSTER BUDGET
Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon proposed that the budget for COVID-19 booster shots be placed under the programmed appropriations of the P5.024-trillion proposed national budget for 2022.
During the start of the plenary discussions for the 2022 proposed national budget, Drilon said budget for booster shots should be assured since the need for them is now a certainty as seen in other countries since vaccine efficacy is scientifically accepted to be good for only six months after the second dose.
“…From the way we look at things today, there is a certainty that a booster shot is necessary. And one of the missteps that our government had at the start of this pandemic is that we did not negotiate in advance for the supply of the vaccines. It took us time and therefore, by the time we were able to get our supply, we were already suffering from the adverse consequences of the pandemic,” Drilon said.
Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, finance committee chairman, said funding for booster shots was not considered during the budget briefings early this year because science was not yet certain about the need for them.
Angara said aside from the P45.3-billion budget for 83.4 million booster shots under unprogrammed appropriations, the Senate committee included an additional P16.2 billion for the procurement of 29.86 million booster shots under the Department of Health’s programmed funds.
Angara earlier said that the Senate recommended to decrease by P24 billion the P28.1-billion proposed budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s Support to Barangay Development Program to gather more funds for the government’s vaccination program. — With Victor Reyes and Raymond Africa
