President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, January 6, ordered barangay captains to restrict the movements of unvaccinated individuals following the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases.

“I [am] now giving order to the barangay captains to look at all those persons who are not vaccinated and just would request them or order them if you may to stay put and if they refuse and goes around their house and goes around the community, wherever magpunta, he can be restrained,” Duterte said during his pre-recorded Talk to the People.

“I said the ministrant function of the government is to come up with measures that protect the public interest, public health, and public safety,” he said, reiterating the government’s duty to ensure the public’s safety amid the prevailing pandemic.

Duterte said that his decision to impose such rules to restrain the unvaccinated is purely due to his concern for everyone’s health and safety, urging the barangay chiefs to mobilize civilians to monitor unvaccinated people amongst the public.

“So, in the absence of the law. The president is called upon to act and because it is a national emergency it is my position that we can restrain,” he added.

Following the president’s decision, the Metro Manila Council, composed of the 17 local chief executives in the National Capital Region (NCR), has agreed to enact resolutions that will enhance restrictions that would regulate the movement of unvaccinated individuals during the imposition of high-risk classification status of the region.

Such restrictions are considered “temporary” and will eventually be lifted once the COVID-19 alert level in NCR is lowered from Level 3 to Alert Level 2 or below.

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