Solon Reappeals to Prioritize Essential Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination

Chairman of the Senate Committee of Labor and Employment Senator Joel Villanueva renews his call to the government to prioritize essential workers, especially minimum wage earners, during the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination. 

According to Villanueva, the ability to sustain the country’s economic recovery relies heavily on vaccinating those providing essential services to the public.

He stated that “We have to make sure that workers providing essential services are included in the government’s priority list, on top of its initial pronouncements of prioritizing healthcare workers, the police and the military, and the elderly.”

Villanueva pointed out that such essential workers include delivery riders, market attendants, and construction workers.

Villanueva also stressed that “Workers in the service industry, construction workers in public and private projects, market attendants, delivery riders, security guards, and workers in food retail and distribution networks are those who the government should consider to include in the priority list.”

Villanueva earlier filed Senate Resolution No. 598, looking into the government’s vaccination program to assess the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to workers listed in the priority list. 

The program intends to cover 70% of the Philippine population within three to five years. 

The senator stated how ensuring vaccination for essential workers could restore the Philippines’ purchasing confidence and eventually boost the country’s economy. 

Villanueva expressed, “Our market attendants ensure that basic goods are readily available. Our garbage collectors help us keep our communities clean. Our security guards protect establishments. Our delivery riders allow us to buy our basic needs without going out of our houses and exposing ourselves to the risk of getting infected.”