Broader A4 priority group for COVID-19 vax hailed
A PARTY-LIST lawmaker from the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has commended the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for approving the recommendation to include in the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccination program private sector workers, government employees, informal sector workers, self-employed, and those working in private households.
“We in the TUCP wholeheartedly welcome the broader inclusion of workers in the A4 priority group to receive vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus. We believe this move will help to restore confidence in the economic recovery of the country, as the workers at the forefront of the opening up of the economy now have the armor necessary in order for them to go back to work. Many workers have been wary of returning to work because of the continuously rising numbers of cases, and with the vaccination rollout program of Government they can now do so safely, without fear of contracting the virus and infecting their loved ones at home,” TUCP Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, chairman of the House committee on overseas workers affairs, said.
On May 27, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the A4 Priority Group for vaccination would include more categories of workers.
Likewise, reprioritized to the A1 Group are outbound overseas Filipino workers for deployment within the next four months from the intended date of vaccination.
“During the hearing of the House committee on overseas workers affairs we held yesterday, both labor and management came together with a joint manifesto urging government to prioritize the vaccination of workers in the seafaring industry. It is our OFWs and our seafarers who are essential in reviving the economy, while there are no new jobs available domestically. Filipino seafarers make up 25% of the global seafaring industry, and ensuring that there are no obstacles to their deployment should be the next priority of government,” Mendoza, added.
He said the House could make better use of its time finding doable ways to fully fund the proposed Bayanihan 3 Law, given that “the President’s economic managers do not seem too enthusiastic about financing this over P400-billion stimulus package in its entirety.”
To stimulate economic activity and create a lot of jobs outside the national capital region (NCR), he said the Congress should also take up House Bill (HB) No. 6970 or the national action plan to speed up implementation of President Duterte’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pagasa program.
Mendoza said that congressional approval of HB 6970 is crucial to the economy’s quick and sustainable recovery from the pandemic-driven global crisis because it will boost investments, create jobs and induce strong growth outside the metropolis—thus finally ending the country’s traditional overreliance on Greater Manila as its main engine of economic growth.
