ILOILO City – Effective yesterday, this southern city made mandatory the vaccination of all on-site workers in the public and private sectors against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Section 17 of Mayor Jerry Treṅas’ Executive Order EO 144 provides that those unvaccinated shall be required to undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests “at their own expense” – a not-so-subtle way of compelling them to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, as a condition for continuing their operations, public transportation services in the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors shall require all their eligible workers to be fully vaccinated.
Moreover, public and private establishments, even if not required by the guidelines on the implementation of the alert level system for COVID-19 response in pilot areas to accommodate only fully vaccinated individuals, may “validly refuse entry and/or deny service to individuals who remain unvaccinated, or are merely partially vaccinated, despite being eligible for vaccination.”
However, frontline and emergency services shall continue to render service regardless of their vaccination status.
Local government units (LGUs) are also enjoined to issue orders or business ordinances to ramp up demand for vaccination by, among others, providing incentives for fully vaccinated individuals.
Meantime, upon sufficient proof of a confirmed vaccination schedule, all workers to be vaccinated during work hours shall not be marked absent.
Only the presentation of a medical clearance issued by the Municipal Health Office, City Health Office, and/or Provincial Health Office or birth certificate, as the case may be shall serve as sufficient and valid proof of ineligibility for vaccination.
All government agencies are also enjoined to implement measures prioritizing fully vaccinated individuals availing of government programs and services.
Further, to give ample time for unvaccinated employees to secure a negative RT-PCR result, the mandatory submission of this requirement will be enforced starting Dec. 4, Treñas said.
“Those who will fail to submit a negative RT-PCR result shall not be allowed to report to work,” he stressed.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) earlier issued Resolution No. 148-B, requiring COVID vaccination of employees reporting physically for work.
For his part, Atty. Sixto Rodriguez Jr., officer-in-charge director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6, said such policy aims merely to encourage employers in private establishments to let their employees get vaccinated.
He noted that while there is no law mandating the “no vaccination, no work” or “no jab, no pay” policies, “employers are not allowed to discriminate employees for no vaccination.”
IATF-MEID said all unvaccinated workers must undergo RT-PCR testing “regularly or at least once every two weeks” to be able to work on-site.
Rodriguez clarified it would be “part of the management’s prerogative to set and lay down policies.”
In a previous interview with Panay News, Rodriguez reiterated DOLE’s guidelines on the administration of COVID-19 jabs in workplaces.
“Covered establishments and employers shall endeavor to encourage their employees to get vaccinated. However, employees who refuse or fail to be vaccinated shall not be discriminated against in terms of tenure, promotion, training pay, and other benefits, among others, or terminated from employment,” he stressed./PN
