‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’ recipients exempted from work

MANILA – Public and private sector employees who will be vaccinated during the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” National Covid-19 Vaccination Days will be exempted from work, according to a new proclamation signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday.

Proclamation No. 1253 formally declared November 29 to December 1 as “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” National Covid-19 Vaccination Days.

“Employees and workers of the government and the private sector, who will be vaccinated during the period, shall not be considered absent from their work, provided that they present proof of vaccination to their respective employers, subject to rules that may be issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC),” the proclamation read.

Earlier, Malacañang said November 29 and December 1 are considered “special working days” while only November 30 is a regular holiday for the commemoration of national hero Andres Bonifacio’s birth anniversary.

Under the proclamation, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in cooperation with the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, shall lead the observance of the Bayanihan, Bakunahan National Covid-19 Vaccination Days, and the implementation of programs, activities, and campaigns.

Relevant agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations, state universities and colleges and local government units (LGUs), are directed, and, medical, nursing and allied health associations, faith-based, civil society and non-government organizations, and the private sector, are encouraged to actively participate and provide the necessary support and assistance to the DOH, DILG and NTF for the effective implementation of the Proclamation.

The LGUs shall mobilize all resources, stakeholders, health human resource and constituents within their areas of jurisdiction to achieve the objectives of the National Covid-19 Vaccination Days.

All health workers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, and medical technologists, are called upon to extend their full support and cooperation in providing Covid-19 vaccination during the three-day vaccination campaign.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the country’s total population.

The NTF on Wednesday a total of 34,199,500 individuals who are now fully vaccinated while 43,290,294 received the first dose. A total of 70,500 vaccines have also been administered as booster shots to qualified recipients.

“Considering the goal to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the total population, including individuals aged 12 to 17, and that approximately 53 million doses of Covid- 19 vaccines have yet to be administered, there is a need to cultivate the Bayanihan spirit of the Filipino people by forging unity and cooperation among relevant stakeholders to expedite and intensify the government’s vaccination program against Covid-19,” the proclamation read.

With the launch of the Bayanihan, Bakunahan program, 15 million Filipinos across 16 regions outside Metro Manila are expected to be vaccinated.