Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles reiterates that the resolution issued by the Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) does not require the mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for onsite workers.

This was reiterated by Nograles in a television interview on Wednesday morning amid the complaint reportedly filed by the clerk of court in Las Piñas against the Supreme Court and the IATF in connection with the alleged implementation of the mandatory vaccination.

"I guess the sub-judice rule will apply. But for us we did not make it mandatory in the resolution. If we were going to look into the resolution released by the IATF, there is nothing there that says it is mandatory and even the language itself is very clear. It also noted in the resolution that in fact, it’s not mandatory and it’s not a basis for termination as well," said Nograles.

"We did everything by the book, we’re an inter-agency task force and that means we also have lawyers and our legal luminaries and representatives from even the DOJ were there," he said.

"So all that was discussed in the IATF, obviously we really get the inputs especially from our not just health experts but even the legal experts to make sure that the letter, the intent and what is written in the IATF resolution pass the test of being legal and constitutional even," he added.

Nograles said the IATF has not yet received a copy of the petition filed by the clerk of court in Las Piñas asking the Manila Regional Trial Court to declare as void the recent IATF resolution on mandatory vaccination.

"Well, first of all, I have not seen… none of us have seen the complaint yet. As I know it, as a lawyer, procedurally if we are required to submit a comment or whatever… an answer, then we will await ‘no the court to ask us to do so," he said.

"So procedurally, we will have to await whatever required response - if any will be asked of us by the court - and we will submit … we will submit," he added. Robina Asido/DMS