Around 500 violators of the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) "No Vaccination, No Ride" policy have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 after being apprehended in Quezon City by members of Task Force Disiplina (TFD).
In an interview with DZBB on Wednesday, Jan.19, QC TFD head Deck Pelemberto said majority of the unvaccinated persons who went with the authorities to the city’s vaccination sites were prevented from doing so by what they called "inconvenient vaccination processes."
“Matagal naman na nila gusto magpa-vaccine, pero dahil nga sa proseso ng online, yung haba ng dinadaanan, sila ay hindi pa nagpapabakuna. Hanggang umabot sa punto ng paninita, sila’y magiging ganap na bakunado na (They’ve wanted to get vaccinated for a long time, but could not avail of the jabs because of difficulties with the online process and the distance to the vaccination sites. It has reached this point in the operation where they’re only able to get vaccinated),” Pelemberto said.
Pelemberto said that the members of the QC TFD will strictly observe and respect the human rights of passengers in their interactions.
Quezon City authorities are giving verbal warnings to those who are caught violating the policy and encouraging them to get vaccinated.
If the apprehended passengers are willing, the authorities will assist them to the nearest vaccination sites in the city.
The implementation of the ordinance on mobility restrictions for unvaccinated people will officially start on Jan. 21 in Quezon City.
The city government maintained its support for a humane implementation of the policy, noting the situations of unvaccinated individuals who have medical conditions and those who are partially vaccinated. The “no vaccination, no ride” policy was implemented on Monday, Jan. 17.
In conjunction with the Metro Manila Council (MMC) resolution on the restricted movements of unvaccinated persons, the DOTr policy restricts unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals from using public utility vehicles (PUVs) while Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3.
Under the order, unvaccinated individuals with medical conditions, and those buying essential goods or availing of essential services are exempted from the policy, provided they can show medical certificates and barangay health passes.
In an interview with DZBB, Manuel Bonnevie, head of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT) Special Operations Unit, clarified that unvaccinated individuals who are reporting for work are allowed to use PUVs if they can present a certificate of employment or company I.D.
Bonnevie also said that partially vaccinated individuals who have acquired their first dose for more than two weeks are allowed to use PUVs. Members of the QC TFD, I-ACT, and the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) are inspecting passengers' and drivers’ vaccination cards, valid IDs, and other documents.
PUVs are also inspected to check if they are following the 70 percent maximum passenger capacity standard required under Alert Level 3.
On Jan. 17, more than 100 unvaccinated people were apprehended on Commonwealth Avenue and Quezon Avenue by members of the QC TFD, I-ACT, and HPG. (Khriscielle Yalao)