Leave the kids out of it, Duterte tells unvaccinated Acosta

Kids get vaccinated against COVID-19 on the first day of the government drive on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center. (Photo from the Department of Health)

MANILA, Philippines — Let children get vaccinated against COVID-19, President Rodrigo Duterte urged Persida Acosta the chief of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), who refuses to get vaccinated.

“For those who are against the vaccination of children, PAO chief Persida Acosta, if you don’t want to get vaccinated,  then leave it to just you. Don’t involve the children,” Duterte said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino, in his taped weekly “Talk to the People” briefing.

“This is a suggestion coming from Cabinet members,” he added, without naming who they were.

He then stressed the importance of having children get vaccinated as they represent the next generation, urging parents to ensure their survival.

“If you love your country, if you love your child, combine those two reasons. Have them vaccinated,” he said.

Some after parents, represented by the PAO, had filed a petition at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to stop the Department of Health (DOH) from starting the pediatric vaccination for children aged 5 to 11.

The DOH acknowledged the petitioners’ right to file a case, but it maintained that the pediatric vaccination would continue.

It started on Monday, Feb. 7, with more than 7,000 children getting their first vaccine dose.

Also, the DOH had stressed that vaccinating children was not mandatory but would require parental consent.

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