Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) — President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to talk about the crafting of a law that would make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
“Wala pa naman po ‘no [He hasn’t said anything yet],” said his spokesperson Harry Roque when asked whether the chief executive has mentioned anything about the creation of such a measure.
During his virtual briefing, the spokesman explained that mandatory inoculation can be enforced provided there is a legal basis in the form of a law or ordinance which will impose punishment on an individual who refuses to get vaccinated.
Roque cited the Supreme Court’s ruling on People of the Philippines v. Jose Abad Santos, which stated that the state’s right to “compel compulsory vaccination is well established.”
The ruling quotes the United States high court’s decision on Jacobson vs. Massachusetts, which said that individual rights “may at times under pressure of great dangers be subjected to such restraint to be enforced by reasonable regulations” as demanded by general public safety.
The US Supreme Court ruling upheld states’ authority to implement compulsory vaccination laws, noting it is within police power.
Roque said that requesting such a legislation from Congress would be easy, since lawmakers know the importance of getting vaccinated. However, he expressed hope things will not have to reach that point.
“[G]aya nga ng sabi ni Presidente, sana hindi na tayo umabot sa puntong ‘yon dahil marami naman po talagang nakakaintindi na talagang bakuna po ay susi sa pagsalba ng buhay,” he further explained.
[Translation: Like what the President said, hopefully we won’t reach this point because many understand that vaccines really are the key to saving lives.]
Duterte threatened to arrest Filipinos who refuse to get COVID-19 shots as the country continues to get pummeled by the health crisis.
However, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the President only used “strong words” to encourage vaccination as he is aware no law yet exists to penalize those who decline the shots.
There are now 6.1 million Filipinos who have already received their first COVID-19 shots, according to latest government data. A total of 2.12 million, meanwhile, are already fully vaccinated against the disease.
