by Atty. Julius Gregory B. Delgado
IATF CONFIRMS A4 CATEGORIZATION OF LAWYERS IN THE VACCINATION ROLLOUT
Several members of the Bench and the Bar throughout the country were infected of the dreaded COVID-19 virus. Courts across the countries ordered their own lockdowns which hampered the administration of justice as postponement of court proceedings were necessary to prevent further transmission of the virus. This led to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) National Leadership to write a letter to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (“IATF”) requesting for the inclusion of judges and lawyers among the A4 priority population because of the nature of their work, i.e., facing clients and attending court proceedings pursuant to their duties as officers of the court, which is essential for the administration of justice.
In a Letter dated 23 April 2021 to the IBP National, addressed to its President, Atty. Domingo Egon Cayosa, the IATF granted the request and confirmed that lawyers are included in the Group A-4 (frontline personnel in essential public and private sectors that are directly client facing and cannot dutifully meet minimum public health standards). In the said Letter signed by Dr. Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, M.D., the IATF confirmed that lawyers may be considered to be included in Category A4.13: Frontline workers in law/justice, security, and social protection sectors. Further, the said Letter recommended the IBP Chapters nationwide to coordinate with their respective Local Government Units for inclusion in the Master Listing.
Indeed, this is a welcome development as lawyers are also considered frontliners. While definitely at a lower bracket compared to our heroes medical frontliners, lawyers also play important role to our society as they ensure that the wheels of justice continue to grind in order to avoid breakdown of society and maintain peace and order. Lawyers, as officers of the court, ensure that our justice system is still functioning in order to uphold the rule of law even during this time of pandemic. Imagine if our courts are closed and those arrested for violation of health protocols cannot be charged, arraigned, and obtain temporary liberty by posting bail.
At the moment, we can see that the vaccination rollout is gaining momentum in the Province of Bohol with those in the A3 Category, or those vulnerable members of our society like senior citizens and those with comorbidities, getting their jabs already. Hopefully, in the weeks to come, vaccination will proceed to the A4 priority and our lawyers can finally get their shots for them to have peace of mind and confidence in performing their duties to the courts, their clients, and our society in general.