(GMA News) Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Tuesday said all voters could be fully vaccinated by Eleksyon 2022 even as the national government has yet to reach its target of herd immunity this year.

“By that time, sa 2022 May elections, I think we have covered everybody, all voters, I mean. By that time, fully vaccinated na ‘yan,” Nograles said during the Pandesal Forum. He was asked about the government’s plan for next year’s national and local polls, which could be a superspreader event.

(By 2022 elections, I think we have covered all voters. By that time they are fully vaccinated.)

He said by 2022, the government could possibly focus on vaccinating children and teenagers.

He further noted the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) cannot release guidelines about elections, adding that rules for voting will be up to the Commission on Elections.

“Ultimately, it is the Comelec that conducts the elections at ‘di siya obliged to listen to anybody. Strictly speaking, not even the IATF or the President kasi independent siya e so that being said we have to await guidelines na ibibigay ng Comelec,” he added.

(Comelec conducts the elections and it is not obliged to listen to anybody. Not even the IATF or President because it is independent so that being said we have to await guidelines to be issued by Comelec.)

As of Aug. 8, the Philippines already fully vaccinated 11.3 million people but it is still far off its target of inoculating 70 million Filipinos.