Candidates in the 2022 national elections should set good examples in following minimum health standards and advocating for COVID-19 vaccines, the World Health Organization’s representative in the Philippines said Friday.
In an interview with ANC, WHO representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the public needs to be “very, very careful” amid the threat of the more transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“I wish every candidate will become an example and wears their masks and tries to maintain physical distancing. I know when campaigning that’s not easy,” Abeyasinghe told.
“I wish that every candidate will advocate for people to go and get their vaccine as early as possible.”
With vaccine supply now sufficient in the Philippines, the WHO official said the time is right for the candidates to “come together” and advocate vaccination regardless of political ideology.
“This is putting the national interest ahead of you, over political interest,” Abeyasinghe said.
Latest government data show that at least 37.8 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The Duterte administration is confident of reaching the target of fully vaccinating 54 million by the end of the year.
Abeyasinghe made the appeal amid social media videos showing crowds in events held by aspirants, particularly those running for national positions.
Based on the calendar of activities released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the start of the campaign period is on Feb. 8, 2022 for national candidates and March 25 for local candidates.
Earlier, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said local government units will face sanctions if they do not enforce the guidelines he will issue regarding activities of electoral candidates—particularly caravans and other mass gatherings—ahead of the start of the official campaign period in February next year.
“I myself will issue guidelines to LGUs, what are the rules when there is a caravan and motorcade in your area and what we should watch out for and not allow,” Año said in a radio interview.
The secretary was sought for his comment on various campaign activities being conducted by candidates, particularly those running for national positions in Metro Manila.
Año maintained that an LGU’s role is only to implement the existing laws and regulations based on the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines against the coronavirus pandemic.
In case of a breach in protocols, he said law enforcers would run after the organizers and “then if no action from the LGU, we can run after the LGU, then if they take no action, we can go after them and of course, the personalities and candidates should be accountable also,” since they are the principals in the political activity.
Año noted that political party representatives promised to impose “selfpolicing” and “self-restriction” during the coordination meetings, adding that what the Philippine National Police (PNP) and LGUs can do is only to implement the minimum public health standards.
“The MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority), LGUs, and the PNP have set many rules that will protect our countrymen,” he added.
Año said in areas placed under Alert Level 2, outdoor assembly is allowed at 70 percent capacity as long as the minimum health standards are observed.
Aside from causing traffic congestion, some caravans and motorcades have been observed to be filled by people who do not adhere to health protocols such as physical distancing.