Concepcion on unvaxxed people: ‘Certain rights will have to be pushed aside’ 

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion on Wednesday defended the need to limit the mobility of those who remain unvaccinated, saying “certain rights will have to be pushed aside” for the “greater good of all Filipinos.”

“Why are we so focused on rights when the rights at the current stage today with this pandemic, to me, are already being violated?” Concepcion said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

“We’re not allowing certain people to go to these places, etcetera. There are already rules. We’re already mandating wearing of face masks and shields, those are already impositions. Why are we doing that? Because we’re in a pandemic,” he added.

“So certain rights will have to be pushed aside because this is for the greater good of all Filipino people to keep everyone safe, including the unvaccinated, who are of the highest risk at this point in time,” he stressed.

Before this, Concepcion was asked about his stand on mandating vaccination of workers or a “jab for job” scheme.

“The problem here is that [Justice] Sec. Menardo Guevara fears that it is not legal, he may be right from that point of view. But I have a different view…when we are in a pandemic, certain rights are already being tried,” he said.

“You are closing down businesses. By closing down businesses, you’re violating the rights of the person who started that business by depriving him of generating income to be able to pay his obligation,” he added.

Concepcion then cited instances of how many of his unvaccinated friends would end up in hospitals and seek assistance.

“So these are the people that we really have to help, convince them to take the vaccine and do our best. But of course, there are still matigas na ulo na tao na talagang, may prinsipyo [hard-headed people with a solid stance on their principle], either religious beliefs or whatever na talagang—there are so many of these anti-vax people,” he said.

“Everybody in the world is already restricting movement of the unvaccinated. And by and large, as a vaccinated person, your privilege is mobility versus for the unvaccinated, lesser mobility,” he added.

“So to be getting a free discount for a burger, fine, that’s great in the beginning. But to me, the biggest thing is you will save your life if you’re vaccinated,” he further said.

Concepcion then stressed the need to convince employees to get vaccinated.

“We show them the numbers, the risk factor and about their parents. If they are working and they come home, and they’re parents are not vaccinated and they’re in their seniors, the risk is extremely high,” he said.

“They have to be scared, they have to be scared of the consequences because the unvaccinated when they are in the ICU, they regret what they have done,” he added.

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier said that vaccination against COVID-19 should not be made a requirement for employment or to keep one’s job.

DOH Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said that while they are encouraging the public to get vaccinated and protect themselves against COVID-19, vaccination is not mandatory under the law.

JPV