Senator Francis Tolentino expressed support for the no vaccination, no ride policy of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), which will be on its second week on Monday.

"What Secretary (Arthur) Tugade said was right, that the operator of public utility vehicles has the right not to allow unvaccinated passengers to ride," said Tolentino in a radio interview on Sunday morning.

"The state has the right to assure the safety of everyone... the state has the right to stop the spread of the virus without discriminating the unlawfully those who have valid reason for not getting their COVID-19 vaccination, if there is no reason, it should be made mandatory," added Tolentino, former chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Tolentino said the recent announcement made by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, that workers are not covered by the DOTr created ''confusion.''

"Sec. Bello did not clarify his statement... which caused confusion... they should have talked with Secretary Tugade," he added.

Tolentino stressed the need to create a law making the vaccination mandatory to avoid confusion.

"It is much better to have a law, to make vaccination mandatory to make it clear and to prevent confusion," he said.

The DOTr implemented this policy last Monday to curb the rising COVID-19 cases after the department noted many cases in its railway sector in Metro Manila. Robina Asido/DMS