The League of Provinces (LMP) appealed to the Inter-Agency task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to classify all governors as frontliners in order to be prioritized in the national government's vaccination priority list.
Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco Jr., LMP President, argued that governors, like medical frontliners, are also exposed to the virus while performing their functions, adding that at least 10 governors have actually tested positive for the coronavirus since last year.
Currently, Velasco noted only the governors of the high risk areas were included in the COVID-19 priority list.
“Eighty lang po yan (governors) at maisama sa group A-1 (COVID-19 priority list of frontliners). Napakaimportante po nun eh (There are only 81 governors that will be included in the A-1 priority list. That is very important,’’ Velasco said.
“Kung meron lang po supply (COVID-19 vaccine) kaya naman po namin bilhin (If there are any available supplies, we can afford to purchase them,’’ he added.
Velasco noted that the group had also sought the assistance of the private sector for COVID-19 vaccine donations but was unable to get any as of the moment further accentuating the need for the governors and the mayors to be included in the A-1 priority list.
The LMP head emphasized that the mayors should also be included with the governors in the COVID-19 A-1 priority list since they are considered as front liners in the country’s fight against the pandemic.
When pressed on the proposal for home lockdown, Velasco cited the need for a new strategy to combat the disease since the enhanced community (ECQ) in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal will end on April 11.
He noted that another extension of the ECQ will further cripple the country’s spiralling economy.
“Maaaring yung mga barangay officials at BHERTs (Barangay Health Emergency Response Team) ay talagang dalawin yung bahay, malaman yung mga sintomas at subject kaagad sa testing mga tao at kung may positibo po ay i-alis kaagad sa bahay o isolate sa isang kuwarto at yung iba ay naka-lockdown sa bahay (Barangay officials and BHERTs can visit the residence to determine the household members with COVID-19 symptoms and have them tested. Those tested positive for the virus should be isolated in a room while the others should be locked down in the homes),’’ Velasco ended.