“Media should be included in the A4 list,” says Sen. Villanueva
Senator Joel Villanueva is pushing to include the media sector in the list of priority recipients of the COVID-19 vaccination in the country because of their very important role in delivering news to the people in the midst of the pandemic.
Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, made the statement to include the media sector in the priority list of essential workers comprising the A4 cluster as announced by the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday.
“Press freedom and timely access to truthful information are a must in times of pandemic. Media should be included in the A4 list,” he said.
“Ang media workers po natin ay ang ating information frontliners. Bukod sa peligroso ang kanilang trabaho, napakahalaga po ng kanilang ambag na kaalaman at impormasyon laban sa pandemya,” he added.
Villanueva is aware that media workers face various dangers, having to go out to gather news and information that can be used by the people.
The legislator also pointed out that, apart from field reporters, various newsrooms include their staff such as photographers and videographers, editors, production crew, and others.
As “information frontliners,” Villanueva urged to include media workers on the A4 priority list, or list of essential workers to be vaccinated by the government.
Villanueva has long been pushing for the inclusion of essential workers on the priority list of the government’s vaccination program. In January, Villanueva challenged the IATF leadership at a hearing by the Senate Committee of the Whole to make essential workers part of the priority list. The IATF has expanded the previous 24.6 million priority list, from 35 million to include essential workers in government vaccinations.
Apart from media workers, Villanueva pointed out that the priority should include vendors in town markets, supermarket staff, passenger vehicle drivers, delivery riders, security guards, sanitation personnel such as garbage collectors, those working in public service facilities such as electricity, water, and telecommunication, and construction workers in private and public projects, and so on.
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