PRRD inclined to give westernmade vax to seafarers
By Azer Parrocha
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he is “inclined” to approve calls to provide western-made Covid-19 vaccines to Filipino seafarers if required for work. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that Duterte is open to allowing seafarers to be vaccinated with vaccines authorized for use by the European Union such as Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson and Johnson, in a prerecorded meeting with Duterte and other Cabinet members. “Sinabi niyo na po kanina (You already
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| May 29-June 4, 2021
said earlier that) you’re inclined to grant the request so maraming salamat po (so thank you very much),” Roque told Duterte. Duterte said he did not see anything wrong in allowing seafarers to choose their preferred vaccine as a violation of the 1987 Constitution. Under Section 1, Article III of the Constitution, “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any persons be denied the equal protection of the laws.” “We are ready to vaccinate them with the western brand… There is no violation of the equal protection of laws but
this is what the nature of their work requires,” he said. He, however, emphasized that all Covid-19 vaccines are equally safe and effective regardless of where they were manufactured. “To us there is no distinction, lahat ito (they are all) effective. And as a matter of fact, a lot of countries have used Sinovac…I have not heard of any news or whatever to show that there are complaints about the disparity in the efficacy of these vaccines,” he said. Duterte denied that he is considering giving Caraga INFOCUS