DOTr: Unvaccinated getting sick more anti-life, anti-poor than 'no-vax-no-ride'

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) maintained that its order barring unvaccinated individuals from board public transportation in the National Capital Region (NCR) while the area is under Alert Level 3 or higher was neither anti-poor nor anti-life.

“Mas anti-poor at anti-life kung mahahawa at makakahawa ang ating mga kababayan dahil sila ay hindi bakunado,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddess Libiran said in a statement.

(It’s more anti-poor and anti-life if our fellow citizens get infected or got infected because they are not vaccinated.)

“Severe COVID infections caused by non-vaccination result to undue burden on our health care system,” Libiran said.

Labor leader and presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman slammed the DOTr’s “no vaccination, no ride” in public transport policy as having no legal basis and violating the basic rights of the people.

On January 11, 2022, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade issued Department Order No. 2022-001, which allows public transportation access only to fully vaccinated individuals.

A full vaccination status can be proven by either physical or digital copies of local government unit-issued vaccine card, Department of Health-issued vaccine certification, or any Inter-Agency Task Force-prescribed document with valid government-issued ID with picture and address.

Libiran said it will be more dangerous if the unvaccinated infect public transport personnel.

“We want to prevent a repeat of the public transport shutdown, like what happened in MRT, LRT and PNR in the past, as most front-facing passengers were infected with the virus,” she said.

“We are doing everything we can to maintain and keep our public transport operations safe and running,” she added. —NB, GMA News