Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered all city government workers to get COVID-19 vaccines or risk sanctions even as the national government had said that jabs are voluntary.
Duterte-Carpio, in a Sept. 15 executive order, said all city government workers in Davao City should be fully vaccinated on or before Nov. 30, 2021.
"Full vaccination for COVID-19 shall be made mandatory to all personnel of the City Government of Davao. This shall include plantilla, job order, contract of service, and volunteers," she said in her order.
City government workers who have yet to get their COVID-19 vaccines will be scheduled for inoculations and should they miss their jab, be asked to submit a written explanation.
For those who will refuse COVID-19 vaccinations, Duterte-Carpio said plantilla personnel would be held administratively liable for insubordination and penalized with a suspension of at least a month and a day up to six months for the first offense, and dismissal from service for the second offense.
In the case of job order workers and volunteers who will refuse COVID-19 vaccination, Duterte-Carpio said the city government would prioritize the hiring of those who are fully vaccinated.
Exemption to COVID-19 vaccination is possible only if a worker is endorsed by the vaccine cluster head "due to medical reason that is listed as a contraindication in all the available vaccines."
"No other reason for exemption shall be allowed," Duterte-Carpio said.
While COVID-19 vaccinations are encouraged, the Philippines has not made inoculations mandatory.
So far, the Philippines has fully vaccinated some 16 million people against an initial target of 77 million by November this year.