The Philippine National Police plans not to deploy for field duty policemen who have not received their vaccination as yet but they would still continue encouraging them to have their jabs, its chief Dionardo Carlos said Monday.
“The soonest that we have crafted that policy, then we will implement it. Number one, why are we not going to deploy them? Because we do not want to put them at risk,” he told a press briefing.
A memorandum circular will be released “in the coming days… to spell out the guidelines in the implementation of the ‘no jab, no duty’ policy,” he said.
“As public servants and officers of the law, it is our responsibility to uphold public welfare at all times and lead by example in fulfilling the citizen’s duty to promote public health and safety, as vaccination is not anymore a matter of personal choice but a matter of public interest for the common good,” Carlos said.
He said those covered by the policy would “still deliver police services” and not really be out of work.
“Probably, (just) admin (duties),” Carlos added.
Speaking at the same press briefing, Brig. Gen. Antonino Cirujales of the PNP Health Service said 1,808 cops remained unvaccinated as of Dec. 6.
They account for less than one percent of the entire PNP force, said Carlos.
Cirujales said 299 of them were citing medical reasons, while 194 said they had allergies.
He added that 393 female police officers had also not yet received the jab because they were pregnant, and 63 had yet to get their COVID-19 shot because they were lactating.
Cirujales noted that 69 policemen were not getting the jab due to religious beliefs. Nine cops, meanwhile, are still under quarantine, so they cannot get the jab.
The rest, he said, did not disclose their reasons for not getting vaccinated in the latest survey conducted by the PNP.
Carlos said they would still continue to encourage unvaccinated cops to get their jab against COVID-19.
“For those who have not given the reason, if justifiable, then we allow them not to be vaccinated,” Carlos said. “But we always want to encourage them.”
“If their reason is not acceptable, then we will ask them for their reason. And then… we put them where they are not at risk. But we will continue to encourage them.”