President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the move to vaccinate seafarers with western-made COVID-19 vaccines despite his previous policy that people should not be choosy when it comes to vaccine brands.
In his taped speech late Monday night, Duterte said the government is ready to administer western vaccines to seafarers since this is a prerequisite for their employment.
“We are ready to vaccinate them with a Western brand,” Duterte said.
“Our only concern here is that there is no violation of the equal protection clause because this is what the nature of their work requires,” he added.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that some seafarers personally appealed to Duterte to get Western vaccine brands to keep their jobs.
“It is not given to the seafarers not because they are a special breed that you need to give but you have to give them because their work requires the vaccination of US-made vaccines,” Duterte said.
