Gov’t agencies told not to discriminate unvaccinated persons

City officials urged government agencies in the city not to discriminate against unvaccinated persons.

Further, Resolution NO. 058, series of 2022 also reminded the government agencies to ensure their compliance to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11525 which established the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) vaccination program and expedited the vaccine procurement and administration process, providing funds and for other purposes.

The council pointed out that there is not yet a law in the country for mandatory vaccination that is why government agencies should not discriminate against unvaccinated individuals by imposing policies that violate the rights of the said persons.

Section 12 of RA 111525 otherwise known as the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 provides that vaccine cards shall not be considered as an additional mandatory requirement for educational, employment and other similar government transaction purposes and vaccinated individuals against COVID-19 as indicated in their vaccine cards shall not be considered immune from the deadly virus, unless otherwise declared by the health department based on reliable scientific evidence and consensus.

Earlier, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Advisory No. 03, series of 2021 which prescribes the guidelines on the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in the workplaces states that covered establishments and employers shall endeavor to encourage their employees to get vaccinated and shall not discriminate employees who refuse or fail to be vaccinated in terms of tenure, promotion, training, pay, and other benefits, among others, or terminated from employment.

Moreover, the same advisory prohibits the implementation by employers of the ‘no vaccine, no work’ policy.

The local government had been aggressively implementing the government’s mass vaccination program that inoculated more than the targeted 95 percent of the qualified population.

Aside from the eligible population, the city vaccinated more than 70 percent of the qualified pediatric population or those aged 12 to 17 while it is preparing for the roll out of the inoculation of those aged 5 to 11 with the successful conduct of the same in the National Capital Region (NCR) over the week.

Health experts claimed that individuals will have an added protection from the deadly virus and prevent them from contracting severe infection or eventual death that is why they are encouraging unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated the soonest. – Dexter A. See