The employers’ group believes that the government should now focus more on distributing the COVID-19 vaccine in the provinces to expand the vaccination rollout.
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) released the statement while protesting against the mandatory vaccination of workers.
According to ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis, vaccines must first arrive in the province and iron out the rollout problems.
“Marami nga nagrereklamo… kung minsan wala ‘yong facilities for storage,” said ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis.
“Pati hiringgilya yata kulang eh,” he added.
The Inter-Agency Task Force recently issued a resolution, stating that starting December 1, “on-site workers” will be required to be vaccinated in areas with an adequate supply of vaccines.
Although the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) says the “no vaccine, no work” policy is illegal, the department believes the resolution has a point.
The resolution also states that employees who have not been vaccinated will not be fired as long as they regularly present a negative COVID-19 test at their expense.
“They can still retain their status of employment kaya lang hindi sila makapasok kung hindi sila magpa-PCR and that is alright, that is within the discretion of management,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
Focus on vaccine distribution in the provinces: employers’ group
Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion, on the other hand, agreed with the policy to address the problem of vaccine hesitancy and continue to open up the economy.
As of the last record, up to 31.8 million have received a second dose of COVID-19 or single-dose vaccines.
The government targets to vaccinate 70 percent of the population to achieve herd immunity against the disease.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health had earlier said it would support mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for “specific sectors” such as those vulnerable to the virus and some working people but said it should first pass a law for it.
It was only in September that Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra made it clear that there could not be mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations unless there were legislation to support it to impose penalties on those who do not comply. This is even though President Rodrigo Duterte has “police power.”
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