CEBU CITY—The so-called social media influencers were asked to help boost the vaccination campaign in the Visayas.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) said these social media influencers will play a key role in helping increase the confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.
One of those who committed to help push the government’s vaccination campaign was Jess Labares, a transgender beauty queen.
“I really do believe in this vaccination push and the vaccine brands that our government is procuring. We have to trust the process. We have to trust our government,” Labares said in an online show hosted by OPAV Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales.
Labares is considered a trailblazer in the LGBTQIA+ community for being the first transwoman flight attendant of local airline Cebu Pacific.
Labares expressed willingness to get vaccinated if only to help boost the confidence of the public to take the vaccine.
“I’d be willing to get vaccinated. I want to become an example to ease the hesitation of other people in getting a vaccine or not. This is really important because this will help us become immune to this virus,” said Labares, a physical therapy graduate of the Cebu Doctors’ University.
Aside from boosting the confidence in the vaccines, Gonzales said social media influencers can also help minimize the disinformation going around about COVID-19 vaccines.
“We need to boost this advocacy to encourage the Visayan community and the Cebuano community to believe in vaccination because this is a crucial step taken by our government as we gradually reopen our economy,” Gonzales said.