A RESOLUTION was filed with the House of Representatives that seeks to probe the supposed implementation by the Department of Education (DepEd) of COVID-19 vaccination requirement for teachers and school personnel who will work on-site or will be physically present in school premises.
Under House Resolution 2479, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture was tasked to examine thoroughly DepEd Task Force COVID-19 Memorandum No. 575 that is related to the IATF vaccination requirement.
The memorandum stated that last December 1, 2021, unvaccinated teachers and school personnel who will physically report for work should submit first a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR or antigen test result that will be at the expense of the employee.
Also pointed out were complaints of non-signing of unvaccinated teachers’ daily time record, plus the reported termination implemented by a private school against teachers who refused to be vaccinated for personal reasons.
Even if the IATF and the DepEd said that vaccination is not mandatory, it seems it has become “de facto mandatory” based on the DepEd memorandum.
The resolution further emphasized that there are teachers still unvaccinated against COVID-19 because of religious reasons, culture, beliefs, and medical condition, aside from the fact that many areas in the country still do not have enough vaccine supply.