BATANG MAYNILA
Mayor Isko Moreno
First off, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the bosses of the Manila Bulletin for having given me the great opportunity to be a part of this very prestigious institution.
As of this writing, this humble column is about to turn a year old on January 17 and this, I owe it to our dear editors, staff, and readers who have fully supported me in my first year with this paper.
Again, my profound thanks to all of you and to my Bulletin family. Here’s looking forward to more fruitful years ahead of us…
***
As promised, the city government of Manila, of course with the tireless support of my hard-working partner, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and the entire Manila City Council which she heads as its presiding officer, continues finding ways to stem, if not totally eliminate, the coronavirus from our midst.By the time this column comes out, the local government will have begun its free swab testing via drive-thru, our latest project in the City of Manila.
The free drive-thru RT-PCR testing or swab tests, is slated to be operational Monday this week, January 28. The testing center’s site is the spacious Quirino Grandstand in Luneta where we also have an ongoing drive-thru serology testing for motorists, whether or not they hail from Manila.
On top of all these, similar tests continue to be given for free in the six city-run hospitals for non-motorists or walk-in patients.
In the new drive-thru testing center, at least 100 patients may be swabbed every day but only by appointment.
Those interested may simply book a schedule with the Manila Emergency Operation Center of the Manila Health Department by contacting the following cellphone numbers: 09052423327; 09983226367; 09636023177, and 0955587597.
The tests continue while we are awaiting the arrival of the anti-COVID vaccines.
As early as July last year, the Manila government had been talking with reknowned vaccine makers until finally, we were able to enter into an agreement for the purchase of 800,000 doses good for 400,000 people.
Again, through the support of the Manila City Council, the city government was able to allot an initial P200 million for the vaccines. This was eventually raised to P250 million and, with God’s
help, might even go up to as high as P1 billion.
This, of course, is over and above the allotment that will be assigned by the national government for Manila and for which we thank in advance President Rodrigo Duterte.
Last Monday, I also signed the documents presented by City General Services Office (CGSO) chief Thelma Perez for the purchase of 12 refrigeration system units for vaccine storage and 50 units of transport coolers where the vaccines may be put while in transport, to protect their efficacy. The freezers and transport coolers may also be used by the six city-run hospitals even after COVID is gone.
Following the signing of the agreement for the acquisition of the vaccines, I, along with city engineer Armand Andres, asst. secretary to the mayor Letlet Zarcal and city architect Pepito
Balmoris, immediately scouted for an area where the vaccines may be stored properly, meeting all the requirements to preserve their integrity.
Works on the storage facility for these anti-COVID vaccines have in fact already begun at the seventh floor of the Sta. Ana Hospital headed by its director, Dr. Grace Padilla. The Sta. Ana Hospital is also where the city’s Manila Infectious Disease Control Center (MIDCC) is located.
The said storage facility will serve as the depository of the anti-COVID vaccines we just ordered.
We can only hope that all those interested will find time to register online via https://manilacovid19vaccine.com so that when the vaccines finally arrive, the vaccination period for each interested individual will only be about five minutes. Non-registrants will take longer since they will have to be interviewed for the necessary data that the city would need to provide a “passport” or ID which would serve as a proof that one had been vaccinated.
Let’s do this!
***
Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ninyong lahat. Walang magmamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, God first!***
For updates on latestdevelopments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account – ‘IskoMoreno Domagoso.’