Duterte: May 'karapatan ang mga employer na tanggihan' ang mga hindi na-vaxx na aplikante. IPINAKILALA ni DUTERTE ANG OBLIGASYON SA BAKUNA NA WALANG ANUMANG BATAS AT LABAN SA KONSTITUSYON SA PAMAMAGITAN NG BLUNT FORCE NG LABOR MARKET SA PILIPINAS, ISANG PAMILIHAN NA HALOS NA: IT IS RUTH A NEO-FEUDAL ARBITRARY ALLOCATION MECHANISM OF WORCATION. MAS MAY DISKRIMINASYON ANG LUMAGOS SA PROBLEMA, SIYEMPRE. ALAM NI DUTERTE NA ANG SINABI NIYA AY MALI PA RIN: ANG MGA EMPLOYER SA PILIPINAS BAWAL MAG-DISCRIMINATE NG POSITIVE LAW, PUBLIC POLICY AT THE CONSTITUTION. LIMITADO ANG MANAGERIAL PREROGATIVE, KASAMA NG IBA PA NG PERSONAL NA PAGMAMAY-ARI NG PAGGAWA, ISANG SETTLE PRINCIPLE OF PHILIPPINES EMPLOYMENT LAW. PERO, BILANG MR. IMPUNITY, PWEDE NIYANG PAAYAAN ANG SARILI NIYA ANG GANITONG MALIIT NA DETALYE. ISA PANG PANLOLOKO ANG MGA PAGSUSULIT NG PCR: NGUNIT NAGPAPAKANYAG SIYA NA KAYA NIYA KAYA NIYA KUNDISYON ANG PAGGAMIT NG KARAPATAN SA ARI-ARIAN NG PAGGAWA SA PANLOLOKO. SIYA MISMONG PANLOLOKO AT HINDI MAS MAGANDA ANG KANYANG ANAK AT KAIBIGAN.

 

Duterte: Employers have 'right to refuse' unvaxxed applicants

The president's remarks, however, seem to oppose local laws

BY Dexter Tilo 10 Nov 2021

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Employers in the Philippines have the "right to refuse" employees who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19, according to President Rodrigo Duterte.

"You have the right to refuse to accept as an employee somebody who is not vaccinated and would go and join the rest of the employees in the factory or whatever workplace you have," said Duterte in his weekly taped address to the public.

According to Duterte, he thinks it’s legal for employers to reject accept applicants not yet vaccinated. The Philippine president's remarks, however, contradict his Cabinet officials as well as a local law that prohibits making vaccinations a pre-condition for employment.

Read more: Philippines labour officials issue '13th month' pay guidelines

The country's Republic Act 11525, or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, stipulates that "vaccine cards shall not be considered as an additional mandatory requirement for educational, employment, and other similar government transaction purposes."

The country's Department of Labour also ruled in the past that requiring vaccinations for employment has no legal basis.

"The requirement that an employee must be vaccinated has no basis in law. That means, it cannot be imposed by companies," said Labour Undersecretary Ana Dione in late October.

According to Dione, this also means that employers cannot terminate employees for refusing to have the jabs. The country has already permitted the return of unvaccinated workers to the workplace, and Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the department will issue a compliance order to allow all workers to return to offices.