Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte's order to arrest those who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19 has constitutional basis.

Panelo cited Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, which states that the prime duty of the government is to serve and protect the people; Article II, Section 5, which states that the maintenance of peace and order and the protection of life, among others, are essential to democracy; and Section 15, which directs the State to protect and promote the right to health of people.