THE GOVERNMENT will push through with its plan to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 despite the petition filed by two parents to stop the inoculation of young children.

The Department of Health and the National Task Force Against Covid19 said in a joint statement that they recognize the parents’ right to file a case and they will wait for the legal process to take its course.

“However, as far as the national government is concerned, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect all sectors of society, which include children and other vulnerable groups. As such, we will proceed with the vaccination rollout for the said age group as planned,” the agencies said.

On Thursday, two parents asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to stop the pediatric immunization program.

Their petition questioned the DOH’s mandate “considering the possible deprivation of parents’ or guardians’ legal authority over their children, without the authority of law or court intervention.”

The DOH and NTF said that the inoculation of children is the result of careful study by health experts and has been approved in many countries, including the United States.

“As we always emphasize, all Food and Drug Administration-approved Covid19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective. Over 8.1 million children have already been vaccinated worldwide, with no reports of deaths and serious adverse events among those vaccinated,” they stressed.

Since the vaccination rollout for minors aged 12 to 17 began in October 2021, the agencies noted that no adverse events were recorded among the over nine million who were vaccinated.

“In the Philippines, we have already recorded over 100,000 pre-registrations for the vaccination rollout for children aged five to 11. This number signifies the willingness and confidence of parents to have their children vaccinated against the deadly virus,” they said.

“We would also like to point out that parental consent forms are required for all minors who will be vaccinated, and that extra measures have been taken to ensure their safety,” the agencies added.

They urged parents and guardians “to make right decision for their children’s health and well-being.”

“Vaccinating them is crucial to achieve our goal of protecting all members of the Filipino family – children, adults, and senior citizens. This will enable us to continue the safe reopening of schools and other public spaces, as well as ensure the full economic recovery of our nation,” they said.