The Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines recently praised Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Acosta for speaking up for the rights of unvaccinated individuals.
CDC Ph president Dr. Homer Lim said that the country urgently needs people like Sotto and Acosta, who are willing to openly defend the unvaccinated, a group that has been the target of discriminatory policies from the government.
“The reason there’s an equal protection clause in the Constitution is to ensure that the majority cannot bully the minority,” Lim said. “But that’s exactly what’s happening now. First, it was no vax, no work; now it’s no vax, no ride; in the end, it will be no vax, no rights.”
Sotto attends CDC Ph weekly huddle
Sotto recently attended a weekly huddle organized by CDC Ph to hear out the sentiments of concerned citizens, who requested the solon to raise the issue of unconstitutional mandates and policies on the Senate floor.
Sotto described current ordinances and executive orders targeted at unvaccinated individuals as “at the very least, debatable.”
He promised to tackle these concerns in the Senate as soon as it can be accommodated in the body’s official calendar.
Sotto also invited representatives of CDC Ph to contribute to legislative discussions when he delivers a privilege speech either to the appropriate Senate committee or the committee of the whole.
“My call to government is to concentrate more on prevention and treatment. I think this is a very good answer to what we’re experiencing right now,” he added.
PAO Chief airs appeal to LGUs
Meanwhile, PAO Chief Persida Acosta, in a video widely shared over Facebook, appealed to local government units not to discriminate against unvaccinated individuals.
“There is no law making vaccination mandatory, so let’s not take away the right to work away from unvaccinated individuals,” Acosta said. “Our bodies are a gift from God, so only the individual has the right to make decisions about their body.”
Acosta also asked barangay officials to refrain from violence and remember that both the vaccinated and unvaccinated enjoy equal rights and protections under the law.
