Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Monday said the idea of “Bakuna Bubble” is “justified if done for the common good.”
Concepcion made this statement in the wake of criticisms that the idea of segregating those vaccinated from unvaccinated under the Bakuna Bubble scheme may pose a legal challenge for “discriminatory treatment.”
“Restricting full mobility of the unvaccinated is the price to pay, but this is not permanent since things can change when we get better. From any angle, this is justified since this simply aims to benefit the common good,” Concepcion said during the virtual press briefing entitled “Bakuna Bubble: An Alternative to Lockdown.
Filipino economist Bernardo Villegas echoed Concepcion’s take on the Bakuna Bubble saying that being vaccinated is a contribution to the common good and that those who say that enforcing vaccinations are violating human rights are themselves violating the constitution.
“Restricting a group of people is justified if it will benefit all,” said Villegas who was one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution.
During the presser, Concepcion’s Bakuna Bubble proposal also garnered support from the country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and top business group leaders who were batting to allow only fully-vaccinated individuals to drive the economy in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to Concepcion, jumpstarting the economy in the nation’s capital can be made safely by allowing only those fully vaccinated to enter various business establishments.
“My role with the President is to help MSMEs grow during his term. Unfortunately, (the) pandemic hit us hard. The biggest challenge is to bring about confidence. Now the question is how to bring this back,” Concepcion stressed.
He explained that the better measure to implement is to learn how to live side-by-side the virus.
“How do we really coexist with the more treacherous variant, the Delta variant? This idea of Bakuna Bubble, by allowing mobility of the fully vaccinated in NCR, will help us achieve this,” Concepcion said.
Among the top business leaders who threw their support behind Concepcion’s proposal was Ayala Malls President Chris Maglanoc who said that malls have sufficiently adhered to health and safety protocols to deal with the pandemic.
“Malls have sufficient protocols to follow which is why the concept of the Bakuna Bubble will not be difficult,” Maglanoc said
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Resto PH President Eric Teng said the Bakuna Bubble will heavily come in aid for the survival of the food and beverage sector.
“Being one of the badly-hit sectors especially because of lockdowns, wherein most dine-in services are disallowed, Bakuna Bubble for restaurants will definitely help us,” he said
McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot Torres said that the concept of Bakuna Bubble is viable because of the protection brought by vaccines, “hence there are fewer things to worry about”.
“We welcome that only fully vaccinated will enter our doors. This is not favoring the vaccinated but protecting the unvaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines are like a 'seatbelt,' and they are protected from any form of 'accident,' like the virus,” she added.
The IT-BPO sector, according to IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (ITBPAP) President Rey Untal, is willing to help the country through vaccination of their employees.
“We are very much eager to help in accelerating the opening of the economy through accelerated vaccination efforts to attain Bakuna Bubble,” he said.
For his part, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) President Dan Lachica said they are expecting possible developments in the vaccination rollouts across the country.
“There are two things we are pushing for, to see accelerating vaccinations in LGU, and authorization of vaccines to be brought directly,” he said.
For the retail industry, Wilcon Depot, Inc. EVP and COO Rosemarie Ong said it is still inevitable to go out given the complexities of checking various products, hence the importance of vaccination and allowing the mobility of the vaccinated.
“For retails, there are two channels to avail , and there are limitations of course when it comes to online selling because consumers cannot see a product that sometimes needs to be physically seen,” Ong said.
Speaking for the transport sector, Victory Liner President and General Manager Marivic Del Pilar is batting for uniform rules in the transportation sector to be able to complement Concepcion's proposal.
“We can not eliminate risks, but there are many ways to minimize them,” she said.
Meanwhile, Salon owner and Philippine Franchise Association Regional Director Federico Moreno and Anytime Fitness COO Ryan Cheal said there is less to worry in the salon and fitness industry since most of their employees are already vaccinated.