Francis Escudero
MANILA, Philippines — Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero said the Department of Justice must first be consulted when considering making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory.
The Department of Health recently shared that it is studying whether vaccination should be made mandatory to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.
“Ang dapat konsultahin diyan ay Department of Justice dahil ang kalakaran, ang practice, ang tradisyon sa buong mundo na kapag EUA (emergency use authorization) lamang ang isang gamot [o] ang isang bakuna, hindi ‘yan maaaring gawing mandatory dahil hindi pa naman talaga tapos ang clinical trials niyan,” Escudero said on DWIZ on Saturday.
(The Department of Justice should be consulted because the practice and tradition worldwide is when medicine or vaccine is under EUA, it cannot be mandatory because the clinical trials are not yet done.)
“Kapag aprubado na at hindi na lamang EUA, diyan siguro pwedeng pumasok ‘yung pagma-mandate niyan tulad na lamang ng polio vaccine,” he added.
(When it is already approved and not just an EUA, that is when the mandate could enter like the polio vaccine.)
When asked if there is a legal issue if vaccination will be made mandatory despite having only an EUA, Escudero affirmed.
“Tama ka. Pero imbis na gawing mandatory, i-incentivize na lamang nila. Ibig sabihin, mas malayang makakagalaw, mas malayang makapunta kung sa’n gusto magpunta ng sinumang bakunado,” he said.
(Correct. Instead of mandating vaccination, they should just incentivize it. This would mean vaccinated individuals freely moving and going wherever they want to.)
Escudero said that the Sorsogon government will be issuing a directive on Monday on the provision of incentives to barangays with a high COVID-19 vaccination rate.
Currently, 26 percent of Sorsogon’s population is fully vaccinated.
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