“It is the moral duty of every Filipino to get inoculated as soon as a vaccine is available to us.”
“It is the moral duty of every Filipino to get inoculated as soon as a vaccine is available to us.”
President Duterte apparently intended to grab everybody’s attention and awaken our sense of urgency about getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
And so he did, causing quite a stir after he threatened to jail those who refuse to get immunized.
It sure raised eyebrows among both his critics and supporters, as well as eliciting laughter to those who knew it was his usual fashion of making outrageous and outlandish pronouncements.
We’ve heard it all from the very start, such as killing druglord police generals, ordering the military to shoot women rebels in the crotch, and jetskiing to Spratlys to plant the Philippine flag, etc.
The President knew it would raise a red flag as it sounds like an extrajudicial measure or unlawful to arrest and imprison those who will remain unvaccinated.
With perfect timing during his recent Talk to the Nation broadcast, he knew the tough love message would drive people nuts, especially those who have not gone to get their anti-Covid jab.
Malacañang spokespersons said the President was merely “exasperated” with reports about the refusal of many people to come out and get vaccinated, fearing serious side effects.
I say we should appreciate what is in the heart of the Manong Digong’s pronouncement.
While it sounded like a chilling “threat,” it is actually an expression of an anxious father’s love for his family.
Early on, he told drug dealers, “Stop destroying my country or I’ll kill you.” Now, which previous president had succeeded against the menace of illegal drugs as much as Manong Digong?
Is it not his tough kind of love one of the reasons that we overwhelmingly voted him to the presidency five years ago?
It is more of a warning that more Filipinos will die of COVID-19 and variants if their continued spread throughout the archipelago is not arrested by reaching herd immunity.
Those who have reservations about having their COVID-19 shots only need a good explanation and reassurance about minor side effects of various vaccines in a language or dialect they understand.
Many are not actually refusing but are waiting for their vaccine of their choice, hearing in the news reports that more supplies are arriving soon.
Still many others, particularly those in remote barrios and sitios, cannot easily access the government vaccination program. They are the ones beset by superstitious and false beliefs about COVID vaccines.
So far, the country has administered more than eight million doses, of which about six million were first doses, inching towards the government’s target to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos to attain herd immunity.
I have said previously that it is the moral duty of every Filipino to get inoculated as soon as a vaccine is available to us.
Those of us who have had their first or complete shots of COVID vaccines also have the moral duty to enlighten and encourage our fellow kababayan to do the same.