‘No vaccine, no work?’ Gov’t won’t force public to get COVID-19 vaccine

MANILA, Philippines— While it encourages the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the government will not force anyone to get it amid a “no vaccination, no work” policy to be enforced by some companies.

“Walang pilitan para kay Pangulong Duterte,” Nograles said in an online briefing when asked on the administration’s stance on such policy.

(For President Duterte, no one should be forced.)

“Although talagang ineencourage niya at ineencourage ng buong gobyerno ang lahat ng mga kababayan natin na pagdating ng takdang oras sa linya ng papabakunahan ay tanggapin po natin iyo nang buong loob at walang alinlangan,” he added.

(Although the President and the government encourage all of our countrymen to receive without doubt the vaccine once it’s their time to be inoculated.)

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has warned employers against firing their employees who will refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

This, after the Associated Labor Unions, denounced the “no vaccination, no work” policy that allegedly emerged in some companies as the government began the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

The local government of Iloilo City has also floated the idea of possibly requiring all those employed in its jurisdiction to have full vaccination before being allowed to work. But its mayor Jerry Treñas noted that this needs further study by the city’s legal office.

Duterte himself said Filipinos have a choice between getting vaccinated or not.

“For those who do not want to be vaccinated, okay lang sa akin. Wala akong problema. Ayaw ninyong magpabakuna? Okay, that’s your choice,” Duterte said.

/MUF