AMID the rising number of Delta variant cases in the country, the House committee on health will begin hearing of Cavite Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr.’s bill which seeks to impose mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

Barzaga said Quezon Rep. Angelina “Helen” Tan, who chairs the health panel, has vowed to open hearings on the House Bill (HB) No. 9252 either this month or early next month to expedite its passage.

Nuong kausapin ko ang aming chairperson ng health Helen Tan, (she said) it will be set for hearing this coming months, na-refer sa kanya medyo magbabakasyon na kami. Either this month or early next month,” Barzaga, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), said in an interview with radio dzBB.

HB 9252 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 11525 or “An Act Establishing the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Expediting the Vaccine Procurement and Administration Process, Providing Funds Therefor, And For Other Purposes” by making it mandatory for persons who are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccination as determined by the Department of Health.

While admitting that it will be more difficult to have the measure approved now as the election fever starts to set in, Barzaga remains hopeful that the bill will be enacted before the end of the 18th Congress next year.

“It’s not easy to enact a law unless it has been certified as urgent by the President,” Barzaga, chairman of the House committe on natural resources, said. “Sana matapos natin ito before the end of 18th Congress kasi problema natin magkakaroon na naman ng halalan, kulang na kulang naman tayo sa attendance.”

The senior lawmaker said his bill has to be enacted because the country will need a “drastic” measure to counter vaccine hesitancy which is the stumbling block to the government’s pandemic response efforts.

“Sa mga storya nga sasabihin, ang kakain lang sa loob (ng restaurants), ‘yun vaccinated at ‘yun unvaccinated, diyan muna kayo sa labas alfresco. Sinasabi ko even before that those who are not vaccinated might be considered as social outcasts,” Barzaga said.

Under the bill, “no persons who are covered by this Act, as determined by the DOH, shall be allowed to enter, convene or occupy public places, whether or not government or privately owned.”

Persons with medical conditions as determined by the DOH or by a licensed medical doctor shall be exempted from the inoculation of COVID-1 vaccine, the bill said.

“Para at least, nakahanda na tayo sa batas para kung sakaling dumating na ang pagkakataon na okay na, gusto magpabakuna (ng mga tao) at ‘yun namang ayaw magpabakuna, paano natin mako-compel to be vaccinated. So future ito e, ang batas naman laging future e because we anticipate that there will be problems in the future regarding vaccinated and non vaccinated,” Barzaga said.

Barzaga said discussions on the measure is urgent as Metro Manila will be placed under a lockdown again from August 6 to 20 to curb the spread of the virus’ highly transmissible Delta variant.

He admitted that the lack of COVID-19 jabs now will pose a challenge to the passage of his bill since many it will appear that Congress is pushing for compulsory vaccination when the vaccine supply is insufficient.

Depite of the joint efforts of the national government and the private sector, he said vaccine supply in the country remains low because richer nations have cornered most of the supply.

However, once the vaccine supply in the country is sufficient, “perhaps that’ll be the time that the law will be effective and provide for mandatory vaccination,” Barzaga said.

“Kasi ang sabi nga ngayon, ang pagkalat nitong Delta variant nitong COVID, katulad ng chickenpox although ‘di pa masyadong established sa bansang Pilipinas but the way we look at it, ang problema natin sa COVID, ‘di nababawasan, bagkus ay lumalala,” he said.

He said compounding the problems being faced by Local Government Units (LGUs) is the people’s vaccine selectiveness, as many are shunning the China-made Sinovac vaccine and preferring Western-made vaccines such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and even Astrazeneca.

Barzaga said such “choosiness” is “aggravating the problems of LGUs.”

“Medyo nahuhuli tayo (sa vaccination), not to mention na medyo choosy ang ating mga kababayan, ‘pag nalaman nilang Pfizer, naku, punong puno ang linya. ‘Pagpunta sa vaccination center, nalaman nila Sinovac aatras sila at ‘di babalik, these are the problems in the field na ating nakikita,” Barzaga said.