Pangilinan: Use P7.5B fund of ‘Pantawid Pasada’ for free rides of unvaxxed, partially vaxxed

Sen. Francis Pangilinan. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Pangilinan on Wednesday called on the government to tap the P7.5 billion budget of the “Pantawid Pasada” program this year to provide free rides to unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people.

“Merong P7.5 billion na pwedeng gamitin para magkaroon ng libreng sakay para sa mga unvaxxed o partially vaxxed, lalong-lalo na ang mga essential workers,” Pangilinan, who is running for vice president in the May elections, said in a statement.

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(There is a P7.5-billion allocation that can be used to offer free rides to those unvaccinated and partially vaccinated, especially to essential workers.)

The Pantawid Pasada program is a fuel subsidy scheme for public utility drivers.

The senator made the call on the third day of the “no vaccination, no ride” policy implementation in Metro Manila.

READ: Pangilinan asks gov’t to scrap ‘no vax, no ride’ rule; Lacson urges further study

“Lalo lang nating pinaparusahan ang mga ordinaryong mamamayan sa patuloy na pag-impose nitong no-vaccination, no-ride scheme na klarong-klaro kontra-mahirap,” Pangilinan said, even as he welcomed the exemption of workers from the policy.

(We are all the more punishing the ordinary people in the continued implementation of this no vaccination, no ride scheme which is clearly anti-poor.)

READ: On Day 2 of implementation, gov’t clarifies workers exempt from ‘no vax, no ride’ policy

“Dapat habulin ang mga mala-bampirang sumisipsip sa pondo natin sa pamamagitan ng mga overpriced contracts tulad ng sa Pharmally,” he added, referring to the company currently embroiled in a Senate investigation after it bagged over P8.6 billion in supply contracts at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

(The government should instead go after COVID-19 fund vampires in overpriced Pharmally contracts.)

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READ: 2021: Pharmally scandal rubs salt on pandemic wounds

Pangilinan further renewed his call for free COVID-19 testing and to make vaccination more convenient for people who might have difficulty accessing the anti-coronavirus jabs.

Reconsider new policy

Senator Richard Gordon, meanwhile, urged the government to reconsider its “no vaccination, no ride” policy.

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, instead pushed to intensify the vaccination drive as many of the unvaccinated are from the lower-income classes.

The senator previously mentioned that people cannot be forced to get vaccinated, but establishments could enhance policies that would protect their vaccinated patrons.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, for her part, said the new policy is causing confusion among commuters.

“Wala sanang kailangang linawin kung pinag-isipan at dumaan ito sa konsultasyon bago ipinatupad. Binulabog lang nila ang mga commuters,” she said following the government’s clarification that workers are exempted from the policy.

(No clarification should have been needed in the first place if the policy went through consultation before it was implemented. They only disturbed the commuters.)

“Non-sense din na kailangan pang patunayan ng manggagawa na ‘essential worker’ siya bago makasakay sa pampublikong transportasyon. Paano naman ang nasa informal economy at ‘yung mga naghahanap ng trabahong unvaccinated o partially vaccinated, hindi ba sila papasakayin?” she added.

(It’s also non-sense that essential workers need to prove that they are essential workers before they can be allowed to go onboard a public transportation vehicle. How about those in the informal economy and job seekers who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, will they be turned away?)

She also pointed out that public transportation remains an “essential service” for everyone.

“Hindi ito dapat ipinagkakait lalo pa sa ating mga manggagawa, vaccinated man o hindi [This should not be something that we deprive people of, whether vaccinated or not],” she added.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the policy will be in place as long as Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 or higher.

Amid criticisms over the policy, the DOTr earlier said it is meant to protect the general public regardless of vaccination status, and not to discriminate against the unvaccinated.

‘No vax, no ride’ policy meant to protect, not discriminate, says DOTr

“On those saying that the ‘no vaccination, no ride/entry’ policy in public transport is anti-poor, draconian or punitive, we believe that it is more anti-poor and anti-life if we will not impose interventions that will prevent loss of life due to non-vaccinations,” the DOTr said in a statement last week.

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