Senator Joel Villanueva on Wednesday appealed to the national government to include laborers in its COVID-19 vaccination program to address uncertainty among workers and sustain the country's economic recovery.

Villanueva, chairman of the Senate labor committee, suggested to National Task Force Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. to also consider other frontline service workers such as those in the logistics sector, public transportation, and other sectors in the services industry in its inoculation program.

Aside from frontliners, a portion of the country's labor force, such as workers in the food and retail sectors, construction and private security, should also be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

"Maliban po sa ating mga frontline service personnel tulad ng mga healthcare workers, pulis, at militar, nais makita ng ating mga manggagawa, lalo na po ang mga minimum wage earners, kung paano sila mabibigyan ng access sa bakuna. (Besides our frontline service personnel like healthcare workers, policemen, and military, our workers, especially minimum wage earners, would like to see how they will be given access to the vaccines)," Villanueva said.

He recalled the recent Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) labor force survey finding that more Filipinos are hesitant to report for work or look for jobs even as quarantine protocols are eased and businesses have reopened.

"Balot po sa takot at pangamba ang ating mga manggagawa, na sinasalamin ng huling labor force survey, at ang malinaw na plano ang pagpapatupad ng vaccination program sa mga manggagawa ay susi sa pagbabalik ng kumpyansa ng ating mga manggagawa, at maging ang mga mamumuhunan (Fear and uncertainty hound our workers, as reflected in the latest labor force survey, and a clear plan for implementing the vaccination program for workers will be the key to boost their confidence, as well as investors)," said the senator.

"Many of our minimum wage earners face a high degree of risk in terms of their workplaces such as factories and construction sites, and live in highly dense areas with their families. They also rely on public transportation to get to their workplace and homes, so if they get sick, they are likely to spread the disease in their communities. This clearly illustrates the need for our policymakers to factor in not only science, but also the day-to-day realities faced by our people in their decision-making process," he pointed out.

On Tuesday, Villanueva filed Senate Resolution No. 598 seeking for an inquiry into the government's COVID-19 vaccination program, particularly "the readiness of the National Government in rolling out the effective, equitable, affordable, and timely COVID-19 vaccination of 100 percent of the Filipino population, especially to members of the labor force."

Galvez earlier said that the planned inoculation intends to cover 60 to 70 percent of the population in the next three to five years, and will prioritize frontline health workers, senior citizens, indigent families and uniformed personnel.

Citing the October 2020 Labor Force Survey of the PSA, Villanueva noted that about 53 percent of the country’s 39.8 million employed workers are wage earners in the private sector.

The Senate earlier constituted the Committee of the Whole to look into the specifics of the government's COVID-19 vaccination program.