Vaccination: Right or obligation?
By:
RoneRo G. PeñaRanda,
As the pandemic started ravaging the world last March 2020, people were in panic as the world goes chaotic due to the spreading of COVID-19 virus from Wuhan, China. Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte on the other hand, was also worried of this virus the moment it will come to our country for the possibility of so many difficulties it might bring us and defending ourselves against it would be very tough because of the scarcity of our resources.
In response to the situation, government employees actively retorted in implementing the health protocols recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the newly-created Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
The Filipino community survived the two-year dilemma brought about by this pandemic and so with the Department of Education (DepEd) in which all the teaching and non-teaching personnel were required to be vaccinated before they can go back to their respective stations to embrace the new normal face-to-face classes with their students.
But, despite of the advance technologies, some of our comrades remained firm to their faith and beliefs that made them hesitant to be vaccinated resulting in many speculations and allegations. Some teaching personnel were non-compliant to what is being required in order to minimize or avoid the spreading of this deadly virus.
Now that the Department of Education itself will be an implementer of the said memorandum to its own area of responsibility (teaching and non-teaching personnel) as commended by the authorized agency; the DOH and IATF. Whatever contentions of its unvaccinated and vaccinated personnel, DepEd remained to be consistent with the national and international laws, respect the rights of every person, while recognizing the duty of the state to promote public health and general welfare which includes protection of the equal right of everyone to safety and health.
In the principle of human rights, when the rights of other prevails, our rights end. More so, whatever rights we possessed has its limitation and many human rights that even wrong in the eyes of God. It is understood that when we are connected under some organization or institution, definitely we are subject to follow its rules and obligation. To be vaccinated or unvaccinated are both ways, we are obliged to follow if we are attached and it is our right if we are not under to any particular organization.( Contributed article)