More senators call for stop to ‘no vax, no ride’ policy

More senators have joined the call to halt the implementation of the government’s “no vaccination, no ride” policy following confusion among commuters.

“Para hindi na maguluhan at ma-confuse ang mga commuters natin, ihinto na lang ang no vax, no ride policy dahil exempted naman ang lahat ng workers. Lahat naman ng namamasahe ay mga workers naman,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said in a tweet Wednesday.

(To avoid confusIon among our commuters, we should stop the no vax, no ride policy because workers are already exempted from the rule. All those who use the public transportation are workers.)

Senator Richard Gordon likewise urged the government to reconsider the policy, noting that it is anti-poor.

“Hindi ako masyadong pabor diyan. Pinag-aaralan ko pa. I'll tell you at the outset. Pero kontra mahirap iyan.  Dahil kung ang tao natin ay 108 million, ang nabakunahan 54 million. Papaano ang balance noon?” Gordon said in a statement.

(I am not really in favor of that. I am still studying it but I'll tell you at the outset, that is anti-poor. We have around 108 Filipinos yet the fully vaccinated is still at 54 million. Where is the balance there?)

He then echoed the need to expand the vaccination drive in the country.

Meanwhile, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III reiterated that this policy is discriminatory.

“Yes [it should be stopped]  because it is discriminatory. There is no valid reason to treat the vaccinated differently from the unvaccinated when it comes to the question 'Who can transmit the virus?'," Pimentel said.

"The answer to that question is both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated could spread the virus. The selling point ng COVID vaccination is when you are vaccinated, they claim that you won't die,” he added in mixed English and Filipino.

Pimentel reiterated that vaccination is a personal decision, claiming that the COVID-19 had just infected 3% of the population with mortality rate of 1.5%.

Pimentel further argued that vaccinated individuals could still pass the virus and there is still a possibility for a breakthrough infection.

This, he said, demolishes the herd immunity argument.

“The vaccinated is only protecting himself and hoping that even if he gets infected sana (he is hoping) he will not die from the disease. Although there have unfortunately been cases of COVID-19 vaccinated persons dying from Covid-19 Itself. Nakakalungkot pero totoo (It's sad but it's true),” he said.

The senator likewise urged the government officials to consider the plight of the poor before making policies.

“Matagal ng iba ang pasan na karga sa balikat ng mahihirap kumpara sa pasan ng mayayaman o may kaya. Kaya nga kailangan na ng bagong pag iisip sa pamahalaan. Panahon na ng mahihirap. Sila ang parating isipin. Ilagay ng policymaker at law enforcer ang sarili niya sa 'tsinelas' ng mahihirap. Start looking at the world from the point of view of the poor,” he said.

(The poor has been carrying heavier weight compared to the rich and those who are privileged. That is why the government needs a new perspective. It should be the time of the poor. They should be prioritized. Start looking at the world from the point of view of the poor.)

On Tuesday, opposition senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros said the implementation “no vaccination, no ride” policy should be stopped.

In a statement Wednesday, Pangilinan suggested to use the P7.5 billion Pantawid Pasada Program under the 2022 national  budget to provide free rides to the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, especially essential workers.

“Lalo lang nating pinaparusahan ang mga ordinaryong mamamayan sa patuloy na pag-impose nitong no-vaccination, no-ride scheme na klarong-klaro kontra-mahirap,” Pangilinan said while welcoming the exemption of workers from the policy.

(We will just punish the ordinary Filipinos with the continuous implementation of this no vaccination, no ride scheme. This is clearly anti-poor.)—LDF, GMA News