Declaring 15 to 17 December 2021 as Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID-19 Vaccination Days II

December 15, 2021

PROCLAMATION NO. 1253-A

DECLARING 15 TO 17 DECEMBER 2021 AS BAYANIHAN, BAKUNAHAN NATIONAL COVID-19 VACCINATION DAYS II

WHEREAS, Section 15, Article II of the Constitution declares it a policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people;

WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act (RA) No. 11525, otherwise known as the "COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021," provides that the State shall adopt an integrated approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential social services available to all people at an affordable cost, and address the adverse impact of COVID-19 through the procurement and administration of safe and effective vaccines;

WHEREAS, Proclamation No. 1253 (s. 2021) declared 29 November 2021 to 01 December 2021 as the Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID-19 Vaccination Days, wherein a total of 8,090,078 individuals were vaccinated throughout the three-day campaign;

WHEREAS, as of 02 December 2021, a total of 56,077,301 individuals or 72.7% of the target population have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 37,353,438 individuals or 48.42% of the target population are fully vaccinated, leaving around 20 Million of the eligible population still unvaccinated; and

WHEREAS, following the success of the first Bayanihan, Bakunahan event and consistent with the objective to protect the people from COVID-19, including the Omicron variant, there is a need to sustain the Bayanihan spirit of the Filipinos through the conduct of another round of National Vaccination Days;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby declare 15 to 17 December 2021 as the "Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID-19 Vaccination Days II."

For this purpose, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in cooperation with the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, shall lead the observance of the Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID-19 Vaccination Days II, and the implementation of programs, activities and campaigns relative thereto.

The Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of National Defense, Department of Transportation, and their attached agencies, together with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Presidential Communications Operations Office, Philippine Information Agency, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and Commission on Higher Education, as well as other relevant agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations, state universities and colleges, and local government units (LGUs) are hereby directed, and, medical, nursing and allied health associations, faith-based, civil societies and non-government organizations, and the private sector, are hereby encouraged to actively participate and provide the necessary support and assistance to the DOH, the DILG and the NTF for the effective implementation of this Proclamation.

The LGUs shall mobilize all resources, stakeholders, health human resource, and constituents within their areas of jurisdiction to achieve the objectives of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Days II.

All health workers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists and medical technologists, are called upon to extend their full support and cooperation in providing COVID-19 vaccination during the three-day campaign.

Consistent with existing government policies and regulations, employees and workers of the government and the private sector, who will be vaccinated during the aforesaid period, shall not be considered absent from their work, provided that they present proof of vaccination to their respective employers, subject to rules that may be issued by the DOLE and the Civil Service Commission.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 15th day of December, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-One.

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 118, No. 8, p. 1567 on February 21, 2022.