BACOLOD CITY – Escalante City, Negros Occidental Mayor Melecio Yap Jr. is open for investigation after taking the risk to be the first local chief executive (LCE) in the province to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Yap made the statement after five mayors were served with show cause orders for violating the prioritization of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
Yap was inoculated with Sinovac vaccine last week after he learned from the news that LCEs have been classified as essential workers and one of the priorities for the vaccination.
Yap said he has not received any show cause order yet from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Although he said that he had no ill intention of getting the vaccine early, Yap said he is ready to face probe.
Yap said that he decided to get vaccinated to set himself as an example to encourage his constituents to take the COVID-19 vaccines. “It’s a call of duty,” he added.
About 150 doses of Sinovac vaccines arrived at the Vicente Gustilo Hospital last week but several health workers at the hospital were hesitant of Sinovac and only 47 health workers were willing to be vaccinated.
“I took the risk to be vaccinated despite the doubts on Sinovac,” the Escalante mayor said, adding that he is willing to take penalties for his actions, although he believed that he did not commit a mistake.
Yap said that he took the vaccine because he does not want it to go to waste as he learned that it has a short prescribed expiration.
He said, so far, he has not felt any side effects nor adverse effects of the vaccine.
Yap also said that he is willing to take on the second dose. But if he will not be given, he is willing to wait after a year when he gets rid of the first dose from his body and takes on another brand of vaccine.
Meanwhile, the City Health Office (CHO) has postponed the COVID-19 vaccination of Mayor Evelio Leonardia and several barangay captains here supposedly scheduled on March 24.
Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr., CHO officer-in-charge, said he misunderstood the DILG classification of LCEs as essential workers under category A4 to that of A.1.4, which resulted in the postponement of the intended activity.
Last March 5, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and members of the City Council also volunteered to lead the vaccination to inspire Bacolodnons to avail of the COVID-19 vaccines.
However, they were informed that amid limited vaccine supply, there is a need to strictly abide by the prioritization schedule.