Pacquiao, Lacson buck ‘no COVID-19 vaccine, no 4Ps subsidy’ proposal

Presidential aspirants and senators Manny Pacquaio and Panfilo Lacson on Monday opposed the proposal seeking a “no vaccine, no subsidy” policy for beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

In a statement, Pacquiao called the proposal mulled by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) “illegal, oppressive, and anti-poor.”

The lawmaker said the DILG would know that adding another condition for availing the 4Ps subsidy without amending the law is “illegal and unconstitutional” had they consulted their lawyers.

“If they push through with their plan, they will punish the poor twice over: first, for not getting vaccinated for one reason or another, and then for simply being poor,” he said.

He further called the idea “cruel and insensitive” to the plight of indigent families who were assisted by the government in meeting their daily needs.

“Hindi naman siguro maganda ‘yan. While I support our vaccination program, huwag naman sana nating ipagkait ang ayuda na nakalaan na sa ating mga mahihirap. Eh kung di nila ibibigay yang health allowance kanino yan mapupunta? May allocation na yan kaya huwag naman natin itong ipagkait sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan kahit hindi pa sila bakunado,” Pacquiao said.

(That is just not right. While I support our vaccination program, let us not deprive the poor of the financial aid from the government. If their health allowance will not be given to them, where will these funds go? There is an allocation for them. So let’s not deprive them of these benefits just because they are unvaccinated.)

On the other hand, Lacson asked if withholding the 4Ps subsidy is the “best way” to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccines.

“Even from a health and medical perspective, not all of our citizens can be vaccinated, so it stands to reason that a socio-economic safety net should also be approached in the same manner,” he said.

“Thus, it might be more prudent for the Department of [the] Interior and Local Government and the relevant authorities concerned to consider an incentivized approach to vaccination, rather than a blanket ‘no vaccine, no aid’ policy,” he added.

Fellow presidential aspirant, Vice President Leni Robredo earlier opposed the policy mulled bv the DILG

Other senators also aired their disagreement on the proposal over the weekend.

Echoing her colleagues’ stand, Senator Nancy Binay said it is “not fair to punish” the 4Ps beneficiaries when the vaccination coverage’s woes is on the government agencies.

“Ang dahilan kung bakit mababa pa rin ang percentage ng mga nabakunahan, ay dahil na rin sa operational lapses ng DILG, DOH and IATF pagdating sa supply ng bakuna, logistics, storage, distribution at kung paano gagawin sa malalapit nang mag-expire na vaccines,” she said.

(The reason why the percentage of vaccinated Filipinos is because of the operational lapses of the DILG, DOH, and the IATF in the arrival of vaccine supply, logistics storage, distribution, and how to handle vaccines that are nearing expiration.)

“Hindi vaccine hesitancy or brand preference ang issue, it's more of access to the vaccines. Ang totoong problema walang access sa bakuna ang LGUs at private sector—dagdag pa dyan ang shortage ng supply. So, bakit kailangan ipasa ang sisi sa 4Ps?” she asked.

(The issue is not about vaccine hesitancy or brand preference. It's more of access to the vaccines. The real problem is the LGUs and  private sector's lack of access t the vaccines on top of the supply shortage. So, why pass the blame to the 4Ps beneficiaries?)

Binay amplified calls to incentivize vaccination than seek punishment for those who remain unvaccinated.

Moreover, Senator Joel Villanueva said the vaccination status should not be a factor in the grant or denial of state services to those who needed them most.

He said it is still premature to impose “a vaccination mandate on welfare recipients” when the Philippines has yet “to reach the midpoint of our target number of citizens to be vaccinated.”

"Kung kulang pa rin po ang bakuna at hindi pa po ito nakakaabot sa lahat, then we should not deny dole outs to vaccine holdouts,” Villanueva said.

(If the vaccine supply are still short and it still doesn’t reach more people, then we should not deny dole outs to vaccine holdouts.) — RSJ, GMA News