By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Two city mayors in Negros Occidental compelled employees of their respective local government units to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo RT-PCR tests regularly at their own expense.
This was stipulated in memorandums issued by Mayors Salvador Escalante Jr. of Cadiz City and Nicholas Yulo of Bago City.
Both ordered the mandatory vaccination of their respective employees.
In his memorandum, Escalante also required Cadiz City employees and consultants to pass their vaccination cards or certificates to their respective department heads or supervisors on or before Nov 29, 2021.
Starting Dec 1, all unvaccinated city employees will be required to submit a negative RT- PCR test or rapid antigen test every week at their own expense.
Failing to do so, Escalante said, they will be marked as absent until he or she is able to submit the requirement.
On the other hand, Yulo said in a memorandum that unvaccinated employees will be required to present negative RT-PCR test results every 15 days starting Dec 15 at their own expense, in compliance with the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 148-B, Series of 2021 dated November 11, 2021.
Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson called on all mayors in the province to urge their employees to have themselves vaccinated against COVID-19.
When asked if he will also implement the same policy at the provincial government which has more than 3,000 employees, Lacson said he will check first how many employees have not been vaccinated yet.
Renelo Lastierre, president of the Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees, yesterday said that they support the call for provincial government workers to be vaccinated.
In fact, he added, that majority of Capitol workers have already been vaccinated, except for a handful who are barred by their medical conditions.
