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Vaccine card not a requisite for work, education -Sen. Tolentino

Philippines | National

Vaccine card not a requisite for work, education -Sen. Tolentino

By Vanne Elaine Terrazola

Senator Francis Tolentino reiterated on Wednesday that the vaccine cards to be issued for the inoculation against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are not supposed to be mandatory for employment, educational and government transaction purposes.

Sen. Francis Tolentino (Albert Calvelo/Senate PRIB)

The administration senator said that Section 12 of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 (Republic Act No. 11525) recently signed by President Duterte, COVID-19 vaccine cards "shall not be considered as an additional mandatory requirement for education, employment, and other similar government transaction purposes." Earlier, Tolentino and Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III raised concern that the issuance of vaccine certifications could pave the way for discriminatory acts against non-inoculated persons.

He later introduced an amendment to the legislative measure so that students, regular employees, OFWs, and others would be protected from discrimination resulting from non-vaccination.

In his statement, Tolentino maintained that COVID-19 vaccination should not be made a pre-condition for entitlement to necessary services or a basis for preferential acts.

Inoculation, he pointed out, is not legislated as mandatory in the country, "Hence, inoculation should not be a determinant whether a person is fit or unfit for work. Neither should it be made a prerequisite for acceptance in any educational institutions nor in the availment of government services," Tolentino said.

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