A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has joined the clamor against the “brand agnostic” inoculation policy of the government on COVID-19 vaccines.
Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines said that “by the looks of it, it’s not just,” referring to the proposed policy.
The prelate, who is also vice chairman of the bishops’ Commission on Health Care, said the public’s right to choose should prevail.
“We should know which vaccines we are being inoculated with,” said Bishop Florencio in an interview over Radio Veritas 846.
The Department of Health earlier announced a plan not to reveal the brand of vaccines that will be used following incidents wherein hundreds of people queued for a chance to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The Interior department later directed local government units to refrain from announcing the vaccine brands used at particular centers. The policy is also known as the “brand agnostic” policy.
The Commission on Human Rights earlier said respect for human rights must be at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The commission said human rights should never be compromised in dealing with the health crisis.
“Time and again we stress that, in ending this pandemic, respect and promotion of human rights must always be at the center of all government actions,” said Jacqueline de Guia, spokesperson of the commission.
“Human rights are not to be compromised, but should rather be prioritized. Ending this pandemic, after all, is in pursuit of the people’s right to health and a safe and healthy environment,” she said.
The Health department later said it was open to reviewing the brand-agnostic policy, which some fear may violate the people’s right to consent.
