Gov’t ready to inject seafarers with western vaccine brands – Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that he was open to having seafarers vaccinated with western-made COVID-19 vaccines despite his policy against discriminating among vaccine brands.

In his taped speech, Duterte said the government was ready to administer western vaccines to seafarers if it would be a prerequisite for their employment.

“We are ready to vaccinate them with a western brand,” Duterte said.

“Our only concern here is that there is no violation of the equal protection clause because this is what the nature of their work requires,” he added.

In the same briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque explained to the president the seafarers’ appeal to be given western brands of vaccines in a bid to keep their jobs.

“It is not given to the seafarers not because they are a special breed that you need to give [special brands], but you have to give them because their work requires the vaccination of US-made vaccines,” Duterte said.

He also noted there was no distinction among vaccine brands because all of them are effective.

In a previous briefing, he urged the public not to be choosy with COVID-19 vaccine brands and ordered local officials not to announce the brand of vaccines to encourage Filipinos to get inoculated with whatever is available.

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