Lawyer Alex Lacson, a senatorial candidate running under the Kapatiran Party and the Tropang Leni-Kiko, said there are compelling and good reasons why the “no vaccination, no ride” policy of the Department of Transportation is anti-people and anti-poor.
Lacson said he is for vaccination and encourages people to get vaccinated, given the medical evidence that it has shielded those vaccinated from severe effects of the virus, including death. But he also believes that people should not be forced or blackmailed to get vaccinated.
“What the government should do instead is conduct a massive mass testing, not merely targeted testing, to determine those who are positive.”
Lacson said that the compelling and good reasons why the subject policy is anti-poor and anti-people include the following:
First, it is the poor that are forced to take public transportation like the MRT and LRT, unlike the rich and the middle class who have private cars or vehicles they can use to travel. The poor have no choice simply because they have no other alternative. This policy cannot be enforced on the rich and the middle class because they have their private cars. This will only be enforced on the poor who have no cars. It is clearly biased and prejudiced against the poor. Thus, with that “no vaccination, no ride” policy, it is the poor that would really suffer.
Second, the unvaccinated include many in the working class who need to work and earn for themselves and their families. To prevent them from riding public transport is the equivalent of depriving them of the means to work, which will further lead to poverty, hunger, and inability to protect themselves from the virus. It will really force them to be vaccinated even if they don’t believe in it. “This policy is like blackmail against the poor,” said Lacson
Third, at this time, there is no conclusive evidence that only vaccines can stop people from being infected with COVID.
“We know it will definitely help someone who has COVID manage the effects of the virus, but there may be other ways to ensure protection, including strict observance of health protocols, and taking other alternative medicines, herbal supplements, and vitamins, some of which have been claimed by medical doctors to be effective against COVID. It is unfair and speculative to rule all of these out, and leave people riding the MRT or LRT with no choice but to be vaccinated,” Lacson said.
Fourth, there is still no conclusive evidence that the vaccinated will not be transmitters of the virus, or put differently, that only the unvaccinated are possible carriers of covid19.
“We already know that even the vaccinated can get covid again and can pass the virus to others. Medical experts are still trying to assess the impact of vaccination on the transmission of the virus. So why single out the unvaccinated?” Lacson asked.
“To prevent them from riding public transport is the equivalent of depriving them of the means to work, which will further lead to poverty, hunger, and inability to protect themselves from the virus.”
Thus, this policy is directed towards the poor. It is the poor who will suffer much from the implementation of this policy.
What the government should do instead is conduct massive mass testing, not merely targeted testing, to determine those who are positive. The government is wrong in saying that mass testing is not their priority anymore, said Lacson
Lacson further noted: “I understand that it is hard for us to test at this time because there are so many infected and there is a lack of affordable and available testing. But I continue to believe that testing, and especially free testing and efficient contact tracing, are pillars to a forward-looking strategy. Our people need to know who is positive and not just rely on symptoms otherwise lahat tayo parang paulit-ulit nalang na quarantine and isolation,” Lacson noted.
“In fact,” he adds, all countries continue to focus on testing. We need to really plan for a new normal at hindi lang tanggapin na ito lang ang kaya natin ngayon.”
