Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____ 
Introduced by the Honorable Precious Hipolito Castelo 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos continues to threaten the objective of achieving herd 
immunity in the country.  
Results of a recent Pulse Asia survey shows that 6 in 10 Filipinos do not want to get vaccinated 
against COVID-19. The survey was conducted from February 22 to March 3, which reveals 
that 61% of Filipinos would say “no” to the vaccine if it was offered during the said period. This 
was even an increase from the previous Pulse Asia survey released in January 2021, which 
showed that 47% of the respondents answered “no” on the same question. A big bulk of the 
respondents identify possible safety issues as the top reason why they do not want to get 
jabbed by the COVID-19 vaccine.1  
This is the current vaccine climate in the country, despite the continuous implementation of 
the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program and the arrival of more vaccines in the country. 
It is also evident that some who are already eligible to get the vaccine are waiting for their 
preferred vaccine brand which further delays their chance to get protected as soon as possible. 
It is true that the vaccination roll-out is ramping up at 163,436 jabs administered daily, but 
quite truthfully, this is still not enough. At this rate, it will take about 2.3 years, or until 
September 2023, to fully vaccinate 70 million Filipinos and achieve herd immunity2, on the 
assumption that such rate will be sustained until such date. Also, the statistics provided does 
not factor in the possibility that those who are fully vaccinated might need booster shots in the 
future. 
Vaccine hesitancy jeopardizes the goal to further increase or even sustain the daily average 
jab rate. Vaccine education in the country should be rampant to combat misinformation and 
anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Any strategy, even the employment of gimmicks and 
provision of perks that can help entice the hesitant population, would be able to help in 
addressing the issue of vaccine hesitancy. 
Thus, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
PRECIOUS HIPOLITO CASTELO 
1 Masambol, Bonz. “Pulse Asia: 6 in 10 Filipinos don't want to get vaccinated against COVID-19”. Rappler.com. 
Retrieved on May 31, 2021 at https://www.rappler.com/nation/filipinos-vaccination-against-coronavirus-pulse-
asia-survey-march-2021 
2 Retrieved on May 31, 2021 at herdimmunity.ph 
May 31, 2021
10:55 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____ 
Introduced by the Honorable Precious Hipolito Castelo 
AN ACT 
ADDRESSING VACCINE HESITANCY IN THE COUNTRY AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be referred to as the “Vaccine for Herd 
Immunity Act of 2021”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. –  It is the policy of the State to adopt an integrated and 
comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential 
goods, health and other social services available to all people at affordable cost. Towards this 
end, the State shall ensure that Filipinos are well-informed about the benefits of getting 
vaccinated against COVID-19 to achieve the end goal which is herd immunity. 
SEC. 3. National Vaccine Education Program. – The Department of Health (DOH) shall 
implement a National Vaccine Education Program by regularly showing COVID-19 
infomercials in television, social media, radio, newspapers, and other available media. Weekly 
public webinars should also be conducted for a more detailed explanation about COVID-19 
vaccines. 
SEC. 4. Addressing Vaccine Misinformation in Social Media. – Social media posts 
which endorse vaccine misinformation shall be privately flagged by the DOH. The DOH shall 
implement strategies that will educate those who share and post about information that 
promotes vaccine hesitancy by encouraging them to attend webinars or watch videos that will 
educate them on the matter. This shall be done in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 
2012 and shall not in any way be a “shame campaign” against any person. 
SEC. 5. Provision of Perks and Benefits to the Fully Vaccinated. – Employment of 
measures that will entice the hesitant population is allowed, including the provision of perks 
and benefits to the fully vaccinated, tax incentives and tax breaks, raffles and lotteries, and 
any other gimmicks that are not contrary to law, morals, good customs, public order, or public 
policy. Local government units are tasked to report any policy to the DOH before implementing 
it. 
SEC. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within thirty (30) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the DOH, in coordination with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the 
Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), shall promulgate the necessary rules 
and regulations to effectively implement the provisions of this Act. 
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SEC. 7. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the effective implementation of 
this Act shall be charged against the appropriations for the DOH under the current General 
Appropriations Act.  Thereafter, such amount as may be necessary for its continued 
implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 8. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
 
 
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause.  – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, 
letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with, the 
provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
 
 
 
SEC. 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,