Duterte adviser to back mandatory COVID-19 vaccination if needed

Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion III on Tuesday said he would support mandatory vaccination against COVID-19, should it be needed.

During the Laging Handa briefing, Concepcion pledged support to the prposed mandatory vaccination should the Philippines fail to inject the sufficient number of people to attain herd immunity.

"We will support it kasi if we don't reach herd immunity, masisira 'yung bansa natin. Hindi lang tataas 'yung infection ang mangyayari dito, mawawala ang maraming negosyo magsasarado," he said.

"Kung mangyayari 'yan, lahat ng mga empleyado namin baka mawalan ng trabaho. Kung mangyari 'yan babagsak ang economy," he added.

(We will support it because if we don't reach herd immunity, our country will be destroyed. Not only will the infections rise but many businesses will shut down. If that happens all our employees may lose their jobs. If that happens the economy will collapse.)

Not feasible

During the same briefing, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis said making COVID-19 vaccination among workers mandatory is not feasible due to various legal issues.

“There will be a legal question. I think, even our Constitution will be invoked on that,” Ortiz-Luis said.

The Department of Labor and Employment has earlier barred any “no vaccine, no work” policy as it prohibited any form of discrimination in against any employee who refuses to get vaccinated in terms of tenure, promotion, training, pay, and other benefits, among others. 

Ortiz-Luis noted that vaccine acceptance among workers has been constantly increasing.

“And we will do everything we can to convince them,” he said.

Herd immunity

Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. late Monday said the Philippines will need 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to achieve herd immunity before the end of the year.

"Now we are pushing really hard to encourage every employee. It's your civic duty, have mercy," he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Pending in Congress is a measure seeking to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for "eligible" individuals.

House Bill No. 9252, filed by Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr., said a mandatory mass COVID-19 inoculation campaign is “imperative” to achieve herd immunity.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque last month said President Rodrigo Duterte has no position yet on the proposed mandatory vaccination, adding the inoculation against COVID-19 will remain voluntary for now.

The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend this also, as it noted that jabs are still "developmental" and only allowed for use under an emergency authorization. —with Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA News