CONCERNED that minors may be dissuaded from getting vaccinated against Covid19, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called on the government to address the hesitancy to get jabs, particularly among parents and guardians.

Gatchalian said that boosting parents’ confidence in Covid19 vaccines is critical as the country starts the vaccination of the general public, including the youth.

“Bagama’t ilang buwan na ang lumipas matapos nating simulan ang pagbabakuna kontra Covid19, nananatiling hamon pa rin para sa atin na palakasin ang tiwala ng ating mga kababayan. Mahalagang matugunan natin ang pangamba ng mga magulang upang mapabakunahan ang kanilang mga anak at matiyak nating magiging ligtas ang muling pagbubukas ng ating mga paaralan,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture said.

Gatchalian warned that if vaccine hesitancy among adults influenced minors, it would compromise public confidence on the resumption of limited face-to-face classes and the safe reopening of schools.

He thus called on the Department of Education to start reaching out to parents and mobilizing Parent-Teacher Associations to emphasize how the Covid19 vaccines prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

The department had said that it will issue a memorandum on how education frontliners can effectively engage the public and help in the drive to address vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos.

Last month, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that the government needs about P20 billion to inoculate 15 million children aged 12-17.