The Department of Health (DoH) said that having churches as alternative vaccination sites can help reach more people, especially those in far-flung areas. 

"Churches really can be alternative sites to areas that lack facility, especially those in hard-to-reach municipalities,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. 

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has offered church facilities to be used as vaccination hubs for the country's COVID-19 vaccination program.  

CBCP President Archbishop Romulo Valles also expressed willingness to receive the coronavirus vaccine in public to help build confidence in the government’s vaccination campaign. 

Duque said that they are reaching out to the local government units, medical groups, and other sectors to help boost confidence on vaccines, as the "task of "vaccinating millions of Filipinos would need the assistance of everyone."

“The move of the CBCP to transform church facilities to vaccination sites will surely expedite delivery of most-needed healthcare services. This also adds up to the public's uptake on vaccines as the bishops expressed their willingness to get vaccinated," said Duque. 

"The government cannot do this alone, we need the whole of the society to implement the COVID-19 immunization program. Most importantly, we need the majority to trust vaccines and the processes that it underwent before we approve it for use,” he added.