Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) — President Rodrigo Duterte granted on Monday the request of Filipino seafarers to get inoculated with Western-made COVID-19 vaccine brands.
Duterte approved the plea of Filipino seafarer unions as most international shipping companies require their crew members to be vaccinated with Western-made COVID-19 vaccines before embarkation.
“It is given to seafarers not because of their special breed, na kailangan mong bigyan, kung hindi kailangang mong bigyan dahil (we need to give these vaccines because) their work requires the vaccination of US-made or Western brands,” said Duterte in his national address.
In his privilege speech in the Senate plenary last week, Senator Bong Go revealed the dilemma confronting seafarers.
A presentation made by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III read by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during the meeting, showed that only 25% of crew changes took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The seafarer unions also requested Duterte to simplify the procedures in the vaccination of Filipino seafarers, wherein the presentation of the seaman’s book will fully identification requirements.
The seafarers also requested that they be vaccinated in their respective towns before returning to Manila. Returning seafarers must be given their first shot upon release of negative swab tests and before they return to their home provinces.
Duterte: No clear evidence to show Western brand vaccines superior’ than other vaccine brands
Despite approving the seafarers’ requests, Duterte insisted that Western vaccine brands are not “superior” to other vaccine brands.
“There is no clear evidence to show that itong mga (these vaccines made by) Pfizer at (and) Moderna are superior to Sinovac and Sinopharm. Puro bakuna ‘yan (Those are all vaccines), generic,” said the President.
The President also downplayed fears that providing Western-made vaccines for seafarers violate the equal protection of laws constitutional clause since that is what the “nature of their work requires.”
Duterte also said that many countries are not complaining about the China-made Sinovac vaccine.
“I have not heard any news or whatever to show there are complaints about the disparity and efficacy of this vaccine,” he said.
With the approval, seafarers are then exempted from Duterte’s previous remark chastising some Filipinos for being picky in their COVID-19 vaccine brands.
According to the Labor Department’s data, the Philippines is one of the world’s top suppliers of seafarers. Of the 1,647,500 recorded seafarers in the world, at least 25% or 460,000 are Filipinos.
