PUV, tricycle drivers included in COVID 19 vaccine priority
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Friday assured that government would prioritize the inoculation of public utility drivers, including bus, jeepney and tricycle drivers, in order to revive the hard-hit transportation sector and help jump-start the economy.
After giving aid to 1,516 members of the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association in Quezon City on Wednesday, Go explained in an interview that public utility drivers should be included in the priority list of essential workers as they have been hit hard by the pandemic and are experiencing a decline in income because of loss of livelihoods.
“Unang una, frontliners, senior citizens … tapos mga indigent. Halos lahat dito ‘isang kahig, isang tuka’. ‘Yun ang priority natin, ang mga taong kailangang lumabas ng bahay. (First, frontliners, senior citizens…then the indigents. Most of them are ‘hand-to-mouth survival’. They are our priorities, people who need to go out of their homes),’’ he said.
“Kasama rin ang drivers dahil sila ang nangunguna sa transportasyon. Paano sila babalik sa normal nilang pagmamaneho kung ‘di sila nababakuna? Kasama sila sa essential wosrkers ng ating lipunan. (Public utility drivers are also included because they are the ones who lead in transportation. How can they go back to their normal driving if they’re not vaccinated? They belong to the essential workers of our society.),” the administration senator said.
The national government aims to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos in order to achieve population or herd immunity against the coronavirus this year.
“Ito naman pong pagbabakuna ng national government in coordination ito with LGUs … well-coordinated dapat ‘yan para walang malimutan, walang makaligtaan, lalo na po ang mga mahihirap nating kababayan.(The national vaccination program of the government will be carried out in coordination with LGUs…it has to be well-coordinated to ensure that nobody will be left behind, especially our poor countrymen.),” Go said.
Go acknowledged that while government is doing its best, much work still needs to be done, especially with regard to raising awareness and public confidence in the vaccination plan.