Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 8) — President Rodrigo Duterte sent a short but stern message to Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta, who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Acosta, through PAO, is representing two parents who asked a local court to stop the government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive for minors aged 5 to 11.
Duterte said Acosta should leave the children out of her vaccination issues.
“Kung ayaw mo magpabakuna, ikaw na lang. Huwag mo nang idamay ang mga bata,” the President said during his weekly address aired Monday night.
[Translation: If you don’t want to get vaccinated, go ahead. But leave the children out of it.]
Duterte said the suggestion to call out Acosta came from two members of his Cabinet.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said Acosta needs to get vaccinated as soon as possible considering her age and comorbidities, which both put a person more at risk of hospitalization.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, said Acosta should comply with government regulations that requires unvaccinated on-site workers to shoulder their regular RT-PCR tests.
Acosta and PAO have been drawing flak since 2018 for allegedly spreading misinformation on the effects of Dengvaxia dengue vaccine. Her pronouncements later led to a decline in public vaccine confidence, resulting in a spike in disease outbreaks such as measles and polio.
