Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors nationwide have also been included in the priority list of persons who would get the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Tuesday, April 13, said that two weeks ago the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) approved the vaccination of prosecutors of the DOJ’s National Prosecution Service (NPS).
“The inclusion of the prosecutors in the vaccine priority list was initiated through a letter of the regional prosecutors to the IATF,” Guevarra said.
“When the matter was reported during the IATF meeting, the DOJ vigorously supported the request for inclusion of the prosecutors, and the same was thereupon approved,” he added.
Guevarra said DOJ prosecutors have been classified as A4 or frontline personnel in the essential sector including uniformed personnel.
He said prosecutors will get vaccinated as soon as their turn comes “but prosecutors who are senior citizens (A2) or who have comorbidities (A3) can get vaccinated now.”
The National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) has already approved the inclusion of about 30,000 officials and employees of the judiciary in the A4 priority group.
The NTF acted on the letter request of the Supreme Court (SC) dated March 31 which stated that “justices, judges, and court personnel of the Philippine Judiciary (comprised of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and trial courts) are frontline government workers in the justice sector, whose functions are essential at all times, especially during the pandemic.”
Portions of the vaccines arriving this April will be allocated to the judiciary.