By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday said he backs the idea of League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) National President and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco, Jr. to make the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.

According to Lacson, he is in favor that all government workers must be required to be fully vaccinated.

“As long as it is legal, I prefer that they make it mandatory,” he said.

The governor said the only issue at the moment is the legality as he is currently wondering why couldn’t be a national law instead.

However, he affirmed that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has given local chief executives the power to issue or pass ordinances with regards to mandatory inoculation against COVID-19.

Although he is open to the idea of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination, Velasco said lawmakers must also take into consideration the right to health, religious beliefs, and right to the informed consent of constituents prior to pushing the measure.

Velasco also told local government units (LGUs) to “tread lightly” in passing measures that could affect lives.

The LPP president has also advised LGUs to provide cash incentives such as providing bonuses to vaccinated employees through the use of their own resources in order to stir up interest for government workers to get the vaccine.

Earlier this week, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said it is currently illegal to implement a “no vaccine, no work” policy./DGB, WDJ