A lawmaker has proposed to mandate the Department of Health (DOH) to prioritize the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to third, fourth, fifth and sixth-class municipalities of the Philippines.
Bukidnon 3rd District Representative Manuel Antonio Zubiri had filed House Bill No. 8379 "to ensure that no one will be left behind" in the rollout of the government's vaccination program against the novel coronaviirus disease (COVID-19).
Zubiri said that while some local government units (LGUs) have procured vaccines, "not all municipalties are able to procure the vaccines needed by their respective constituents."
He added that the vaccines purchased by the national government "remains clearly inadequate given the number of population of the country."
The congressman feared that low-tier municipalities "are at risk of not receiving any vaccines".
Under his HB No. 8379 filed in January, the DOH will be required to prioritize municipalities in the third to sixth class in getting COVID-19 vaccines, although LGUs will not be prevented from procuring their own vaccines regardless of their classification.
Due to the tight vaccine supply and delays in delivery, however, authorities have recommended to prioritize areas of the country that have high number of COVID-19 infections, and have "social and economic importance".
On Monday, May 3, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. presented to the Cabinet a list of localities to be prioritized in the inoculations, which include cities in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Cagayan Valley.
In the Visayas, the cities of Cebu, Bacolod, and Iloilo, as well as provinces in Central, Western, and Eastern Visayas, were also proposed to be prioritized.
As for Mindanao, Galvez also listed Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City, Zamboanga City, General Santos City, Iligan City, Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao.
Galvez said he hopes that prioritizing 50 to 60 million locals of these areas in the vaccine rollout will allow the country to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.
The government initially targeted to inoculate 70 million Filipinos by the end of this year.