MANILA, Philippines — Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated workers in industries allowed under Alert Level 3 can once again use public transportation for a 30-day period starting January 26, national government agencies said in a joint statement issued Wednesday.
This decision came as the result of an inter-agency meeting between the Interior, Labor, and Transportation departments earlier this week, the joint statement said.
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At a press briefing Wednesday noon, Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr said that the new rule covers workers from both the formal and informal economies. The same exemptions still stand for non-worker commuters leaving for medical purposes or to purchase essential goods.
“We want our workers to get fully vaccinated, especially now that there is no longer a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, and there is a threat of highly transmissible variants of the virus. We are giving our workers the time to get themselves vaccinated,” he said.
Per the Department of Health, the recommended interval between vaccine doses typically takes up to three months. Groups earlier urged the national government to allow partially vaccinated individuals to use public transport, pointing to the problem of access to vaccination.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya added that the highly-contested "no vaccine, no ride" order on public transportation will revert back to its full implementation after the period elapses.
Asked if the departments would be releasing another order to tweak the policy later on, Tuazon said: "It might just be simpler for us to get vaccinated."
Pressed for legal basis on the rule, Malaya pointed to the legal opinion issued by the Department of Justice that the local government ordinances restricting the mobility of the unvaccinated are a "valid exercise of police power under the Local Government Code."
The three departments repeated their line that there are no restrictions on travel for unvaccinated persons, “just restrictions on access to public transportation." The DOTr routinely brings this up in arguing that the department order is not discriminatory.
"Workers who will remain unvaccinated 30 days after the announcement are not being barred from their workplaces. They are simply not allowed to use public transportation, but can still use other means," Tuazon said.
According to the Metro Manila Council, 85% of severe and critical cases in Metro Manila in recent weeks are unvaccinated while 93% of COVID-related deaths are unvaccinated.
At the same time, though, only 67.8% of Metro Manila residents are fully vaccinated while just 88% or almost nine out of ten households in Metro Manila do not own private vehicles and rely on public transport.
— Franco Luna