MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that he was open to having seafarers vaccinated with western-made COVID-19 vaccines despite his policy against discriminating among vaccine brands.
In his taped speech, Duterte said the government was ready to administer western vaccines to seafarers if it would be a prerequisite for their employment.
“We are ready to vaccinate them with a western brand,” Duterte said.
“Our only concern here is that there is no violation of the equal protection clause because this is what the nature of their work requires,” he added.
In the same briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque expl…
Keep on reading: Gov’t ready to inject seafarers with western vaccine brands – Duterte