Duterte adviser urges curbs for Filipinos sans COVID-19 booster shots

An adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday proposed mobility restrictions for people who have yet to get their booster shots against COVID-19.

Joey Concepcion, the presidential adviser for entrepreneurship, also proposed incentives for individuals who have gotten their booster shots.

Concepcion made the remarks amid the decreased vaccination rate against the coronavirus and the expiration of 27 million vaccine doses in the next few months.

"I think it's good that Secretary Duque is trying to push it forward and get the Congress and  the President to make vaccines mandatory but I don't think it will make it through,” Concepcion said at a forum of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP).

“By large, I think we can’t really force people to take vaccines if they don’t want to but what we can do is continue what we’ve been doing in the past… Pwede natin i-restrict ang movements ng those who did not take the booster shots," he added.

It was Concepcion who over the weekend expressed concern that 27 million coronavirus vaccines were to expire by June or July.

There is a also the low turnout in the country’s vaccination for booster shots which currently stands at 13 percent or 12,018, 418 as of March 30.

“We cannot fail in the execution of this third booster shot. Whatever efforts the private sector is doing either by giving benefits or incentives, we will do it just to encourage and the hard hand approach can be adopted in these ways: restricted mobility, transportation mobility,” Concepcion said.

“Of course, this would come with a lot of criticism from the public which at this point people are trying to avoid all of that… but then again, the consequences of failure are going to be a problem in the second semester,” he added.

PCP President Dr. Maricar Limpin agreed with Concepcion and said incentives and restrictions are the best approach to encourage the public to take their booster COVID-19 vaccine shot.

She said fighting disinformation on the inoculation efforts was also necessary.

Limpin said addressing doubts and concerns of Filipinos towards vaccines would boost the nationwide campaign.

“I think  importante na malaman ng mga tao kung ano ang ginagawa ng gobyerno laban dito sa adverse effects,” Limpin said.

(I think it’s also important for the public to know how the government is addressing these adverse effects.)

“Hindi naman nagiging kampante o hindi naman nanatiling bulag o bingi ang ating government kasi ito naman ay ina-address pero kailangan iparating sa mga tao kung anong ginawa para kung ma-experience nila itong mga ganitong epekto alam nila na may titingin sa kanila,” she said.

(The government is not being complacent. They’re not turning blind or deaf to these concerns either, that's why the public should know what they’re doing. It would also assure people that if they would experience it, there’ someone who would monitor them.) —NB, GMA News