DOLE seeks to prioritize OFWs, minimum wage earners in list for COVID-19 vaccination

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is seeking to include overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and minimum wage earners among the top priorities in receiving vaccines for coronavirus disease.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello II said Sunday that OFWs are currently ranked 12th among those prioritized for the immunization program against COVID-19.

“Sa listing, parang number 12 lang kaya sumulat ako na kung maaari, ilagay man lamang sila na number 5 or number 6,” Bello said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo when asked if OFWs will also prioritized in the inoculation drive.

(In the list, it seems they are only in the 12th place so I wrote to concerned officials to request if we can place them in the number 5 or 6.)

“Hindi lang ‘yung OFWs, pati ‘yung mga minimum wage earners kasi ‘yung mga workers natin, ito ‘yung mga vehicles of economy,” he added.

(It’s not only the OFWs. Minimum wage earners should also be prioritized because workers are the vehicles of the economy.)

According to Bello, minimum wage earners comprise at least 20 million of the country’s workforce.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said healthcare workers, frontliners in select agencies, uniformed personnel, indigent citizens, senior citizens and other vulnerable populations are among the priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination program.

National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said that the government targets to vaccinate 60 to 70 percent of all Filipinos against COVID-19 within three to five years.

EDV