THE presidential candidate of Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Leody De Guzman, opposed the recent Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution 148-B, which mandates public and private employers to impose a "No Vaccine, No Work policy" on workers.
The presidentiable claimed that although the resolution states that non-vaccination cannot be a “sole” ground for termination, it compels unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated workers to undergo a regular reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test at their own expense.
De Guzman stressed that since ordinary workers cannot afford the cost of regular RT-PCR tests, the IATF’s policy is tantamount to economic coercion.
"Ang manggagawa pa ang paparusahan at sisisihin sa palpak na pandemic response ng gobyerno! Dapat tulungan silang umahon sa krisis sa kabuhayan at kalusugan, hindi yung binabantaan sila ng kagutuman at kawalan ng hanapbuhay para pwersahang magpabakuna," the presidential aspirant said.
(The workers will still be punished and blamed for the government's sloppy pandemic response! They must be helped to rise above the crisis of livelihood and health, not threaten them with hunger and unemployment to force them to get vaccinated.)
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said instead of making vaccination mandatory, the government should put pressure on the unvaccinated, “make it harder for them to live,” De Guzman stated.
"Insentibo imbes na koersyon. Hindi mga pasaway ang mga Pilipino. Magkukusa silang suportahan ang anumang batas at programa basta't nakikita nila ang syensya't katuwiran sa likod nito. Ipatupad ang malawakang kampanyang edukasyon ukol sa pagbabakuna. Magsagawa ng libreng mass testing at maayos na contact tracing," De Guzman said.
(Incentive rather than coercion. Filipinos are not critics. They will be willing to support any law and program as long as they see the science and reason behind it. Implement a comprehensive immunization education campaign. Perform free mass testing and proper contact tracing.)
De Guzman proposed paid vaccination leaves and cash incentives to encourage workers to get vaccinated.
He also forwarded ideas for place-of-work vaccinations facilitated by employers as an alternative to the long lines in vaccination sites and drive-thru vaccinations, which increase the risk of infections.
De Guzman also said that the IATF resolution, by not explicitly stating that employers cannot use non-vaccination of workers as a ground for termination, is prone to the abuse of employers and can be weaponized against workers who are fighting for their rights.
He expressed his support for the House Committee on Labor and Employment’s motion to suspend the implementation of IATF Resolution 148-B and 149.