Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has maintained that getting people vaccinated against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) must be voluntary and not mandatory out of respect for basic human rights and freedoms.
Lacson stressed this yesterday (April 20) when a mother who participated in their town hall meeting in Santa Barbara, Iloilo asked him for help after experiencing some degree of harassment just because she was not vaccinated.
‘’First of all, vaccination cannot be mandatory. It cannot be forced (on people). It is our individual choice, individual right, if we will get it or not. But, of course, we have to consider other people as well,’’ Lacson told a woman named ‘Josie,’ who hails from the nearby town of Pavia.
“Kasi kung nagkataon at ikaw ay tamaan ng Covid-(19)—Omicron man, Delta man o subvariant ng Omicron—ay alalahanin din naman natin (na baka mahawa) ‘yung ating mga kapitbahay, ‘yung ating mga kaibigan (Because in case you get infected with Covid-19—whether it’s the Omicron (variant), Delta, or the subvariant of Omicron—we must remember (that it may affect our) neighbors, our friends),” he added.
According to ‘Josie,’ the discriminatory tactics against anti-vaxxers like her would even extend to their children, who were being prevented from going to school. She said she decided not to get immunity from COVID-19 because she believes her faith in God is enough to protect her.
“Sa eskuwelahan, hindi pinapapasok ang mga anak namin, kung anu-ano ang ginagawa... Kahit humaharap ako sa mga (COVID-19) positive dahil sa pananampalataya ko na walang mangyayari sa akin, ano pa rin ako, malusog pa rin (At school, our children were prohibited from entering, doing whatever nonsense... Even if I encounter (COVID-19) positives, because I have faith that nothing bad will happen to me, I am still healthy),’’ she explained.
While Lacson prefers to have all eligible Filipinos vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19, he said he respects the opinions of those who still had misgivings.
Nevertheless, the presidential aspirant remains an advocate of state-funded inoculation drives to protect more people from the virus.
Vice-presidential candidate and Senate President Vicente "Tito" C. Sotto III, for his part, also somewhat encouraged ‘Josie’ to keep her mind open about getting vaccinated, considering the provisions stated under Republic Act (RA) 11525, or the ‘Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021.
‘’It is a big deal to have our laws properly implemented. You said (RA) 11525 has no teeth? If the implementation of the law is incorrect, it would really have no teeth; but if it is properly enforced, then it can be useful,’’ Sotto told ‘Josie.’