The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) clarified Monday that those unvaccinated against COVID-19 would not be arrested but would be instructed to go home.
According to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, barangay officials in coordination with law enforcers would set up checkpoints to limit the movement of the unvaccinated amid the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases believed to be due to the Omicron variant.
“Ang ating mga barangay captains at mga kapulisan ay magsasagawa ng mga checkpoints. Kung ikaw ay hindi bakunado, pauuwiin ka, ‘yun lang naman. Pero kung ikaw ay magre-resist ay talagang sapilitan kang iuuwi,” he added.
(Our barangay captains and the police will establish checkpoints. If you are not vaccinated, you will be sent home, that’s all. But if you resist, you will be forced to be brought back home.)
Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte said that barangay captains could enforce all the laws of the land “within his community.”
“I am now giving orders to the barangay captains to look for those persons who are not vaccinated and just request them or order them if you may to stay put,” Duterte said.
Unvaccinated will be ordered to go home, not arrested – DILG
Duterte said barangay chairpersons could arrest unvaccinated residents if they refused to cooperate.
“If he refuses, if he goes out of the house and goes around the community or wherever magpunta, he can be restrained. If he refuses, the barangay captain being a person of authority, have the power to arrest,” Duterte said.
However, Año said barangay officials arresting the unvaccinated who insist on going out should be the last option and would be conducted “within the bounds of the law.”
“Ang ibig sabihin naman nito ay ili-limit natin ang kilos ng mga hindi bakunado na dapat ay sa bahay lang muna sila habang meron tayong surge, habang nagaganap itong biglang maramihang transmission,” Año said.
(This means that we will limit the mobility of the unvaccinated in their homes while we have a COVID-19 surge, while this sudden multiple transmission of infections happens.)
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