The first week of the "no vaccine, no ride" policy from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will be a "warning phase," according to the Philippine National Police, with no arrests expected to be carried out.
"Actually, we are in close coordination with our DOTr and it's very clear on the first week it will be a warning phase," said PNP spokesperson Gen. Roderick Alba in an interview with DZRH.
"Wala pong mangyayaring pagpipilitan or pag-aarest ng ating mga kababayan na unvaccinated na hindi pwedeng sumakay without vaccination card," he added.
(There will be no coercion or arrest among the unvaccinated who are not allowed to ride public transportation without a vaccination card.)
However, the PNP clarified that arrests will only be made if they commit violations against the law, adding that the agency is only discouraging the unvaccinated from their non-essential travels.
"What we do is we encourage people yung mga unvacinated na wag na pong tumuloy sa kanilang pupuntahan," he said.
(What we do is we encourage the unvaccinated to cancel their plans to leave.)
Despite this, the PNP spokesperson underscored that there are several exceptions to this rule, including for medical reasons or if they are going to work.
"As long as sabi ko nga mayroong proof, mayroong employee certification and all necessary documents na makapagpresenta sa ating kapulisan, ina-allow po natin," he said.
(As long as there is proof, there is employee certification and all necessary documents that can be presented to the police, we allow it.)
He made the remarks after initial confusion on whether law enforcement authorities will allow unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals from boarding public transportation even if they are going to work.
Previously, the Department of Labor and Employment said workers going to their work will be exempted from the "no vaccine, no ride."
"We do not prohibit them to ride public utility vehicles. Ang samin lang po sa PNP, if you are not vaccinated and hindi necessary ang labas mo we are discouraging our kababayan na tumuloy po for their protection," Alba clarified.
(We do not prohibit them to ride public utility vehicles. But for the PNP, if you are not vaccinated and your trip is not necessary, we are discouraging them to not push through for their protection.)
According to Alba, the public should understand the government's goal in restricting the movement of their unvaccinated, which he said is more for their benefit.
"We must understand the objective ng gobyerno, particularly ng PNP, to protect basically hindi yung vaccinated eh, those unvaccinated na hindi necessary yung paglabas because they are prone na talagang mahawa po ng virus," he said.
(We must understand the government’s objective, particularly the PNP, to protect basically not the vaccinated, but the unvaccinated whose trips are unnecessary because they are prone to get sick with the virus.)
"Statistics show talaga na severe yung epekto sa ating kababayan na hindi bakunado and less severe and less lethal kapag tayo po ay fully vaccinated even boosted ng vaccine," he added.
(Statistics show that there is severe effect for unvaccinated people, and less severe and less-lethal for fully vaccinated and even with booster shots of the vaccine.)
The PNP said that it did not make any arrests on the first day of implementation of the “no vax, no ride” policy in the National Capital Region, despite the expanded presence of PNP units and personnel in public transportation hubs and terminals.
