“Don’t get me wrong. There is a crisis in this country. There is a national emergency. If you don’t want to be vaccinated, I will arrest you and I will put the vaccine in your butt. If you do not agree to leave, leave the Philippines. If you want or say, go to the United States, go to India.” He added that he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant citizens.
Concerned over Duterte’s threat, a human rights lawyer, Edre Olalia, said the president could not order the arrest of anyone who had not committed a clear crime.
Duterte and his administration have been criticized for their supply problems and public hesitation over the vaccination campaign. After repeated delays, the vaccine began in March. Duterte blamed rich Western countries for vaccinating their own citizens, and left behind poorer countries such as the Philippines.
The Philippines is one of Asia’s COVID-19 hotspots, with more than 1.3 million cases and at least 23,749 deaths.
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