Vice President Leni Robredo urged local government units (LGUs) to be more liberal in vaccinating their constituents since there is a steadier supply of coronavirus vaccines arriving in the country.
“At the start, for me, it’s okay to be strict because it is lacking. We are making sure that those who need will get vaccinated but now that there is more supply arriving, we have to more liberal in the vaccination,” she said in Filipino during her Sunday radio show.
The vice president cited as examples Manila and Quezon City. Both LGUs are reportedly allowing non-residents to get inoculated there.
Robredo said all the vaccinees have to present valid identification cards and other requirements to prove that they are eligible to get the vaccine. She shared that most of her staff at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) got inoculated in Quezon City—even though they are not residents—because they work there.
The lady official said it is up to the LGU to implement this policy, especially if there is a problem in convincing their residents to get COVID-19 jab.
READ: COVID-19 vaccination rate must be ramped up to 300,000 a day —Robredo camp
She added that the LGUs have to prepare on how to improve the speed of the vaccine rollout since “naghahabol tayo ng oras (we are racing against time).”
“The sooner na mabakunahan ang pinakamaraming tao, the sooner din magbubukas ang ekonomiya natin. So, dapat tutukan siya, tutukan iyong proseso (The sooner that we inoculate a lot of people, the sooner that our economy can reopen. So, we need to focus on it, focus on the process),” Robredo said.
As of May 26, figures from the government showed that almost 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered nationwide. Of this number, 3,466,314 individuals received their first dose so far while 1,029,061 got their second dose already.
READ: Almost 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in PH — DOH
To reach herd immunity, the country has to inoculate around 70 million Filipinos. President Duterte has earlier called on Filipinos to get their COVID-19 jabs.