Malacañang on Tuesday welcomed the decision of a Manila court to dismiss the petition against the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in connection with the implementation of mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for onsite workers.
Nograles emphasized the need to ensure that every Filipino is safe and healthy.
Judge Rosalyn Mislos-Loja of the Manila RTC Branch 41 noted that the IATF was merely exercising its discretionary power to refuse declaration of rights and construction of IATF Resolution 148-B dated Nov. 11, 2021.
The petitioner, Kathryn Joy Hautea-Nuñez, clerk of court of the Las Piñas RTC Branch 198, had asked that the IATF’s resolution on mandatory vaccination be voided.
In filing her petition, Hautea-Nuñez said she is hesitant to get jabbed because after weighing the information on the vaccines being used and the other means available to prevent the spread of the infection, “she came to the personal conclusion that vaccination is not for her and her family.”
The IATF-EID earlier released a resolution stating that employees who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 cannot be terminated but must undergo regular reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing or antigen tests at their own expense.
It also said establishments can refuse entry and deny service to unvaccinated individuals, or those partially vaccinated despite being eligible for inoculation.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday revealed that the Philippines will set up 12,000 vaccination sites for the third national vaccination drive against COVID-19 on February 10 and 11.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, said the private sector, religious groups, and medical societies this time will help in the vaccination drive dubbed as “Bayanihan, Bakunahan.”
“We will have 12,00 vaccination sites on that day [including] drive-thru vaccination sites, pharmacies, clinics,” Vergeire said.
Vergeire said the sites for the national drive will be separated from the ongoing vaccination of kids aged five to 11 years old, which just started on Monday, to avoid mistakes in administration of vaccines since the formulation of doses for the age group is different.
The national government is seeking to inoculate up to six million people during the third vaccination drive, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Monday.
The DOH is also looking for volunteers who will participate in the third wave of the national vaccination drive against COVID-19. Vergeire said the country’s vaccination sites are in need of health screeners, vaccinators, post-vaccination monitors, health educators, encoders, and talliers/data consolidators. Vergeire said those interested may register through https://tinyurl.com/2c6amp9s.
Data from the vaccination dashboard shows that more than 60 million have received at least one dose, 59.8 million have been fully vaccinated against the illness, and 8 million have received a booster shot. WIth Willie Casas