BATANG MAYNILA
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
By the time this column comes out, I and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna would have already inaugurated the city of Manila’s drive-thru vaccination site at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta.
I thank Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos, National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementor Secretary Vince Dizon, DOH-NCR assistant regional director Dr. Paz Corrales and DOH assistant chief Elmer Punzalan for having graced the affair.
With 400 initially benefitting from the free vaccination offered at the new drive-thru site, we will be administering vaccines to 100 individuals per day for the next two weeks.
We will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis, everyday including weekends, rain or shine.
Once again, I thank the city government’s IT (information technology) team under electronic data processing department chief Fortune Palileo for having established the system and mind you, the city government did not spend a single centavo for this.
Those interested may reserve their slots but first, they have to register with the www.manilacovid19vaccine.ph. No walk-ins will be entertained.
Supposedly, the drive-thru vaccination site will be accepting reservations for slated inoculation that will last for two weeks including weekends, or an equivalent of 1,400 doses at 100 doses
per day.
I said supposedly for the reason that I was just halfway with my regular capital report via live broadcast when I learned that all the slots good for two weeks have already been filled up.
This only goes to show that the people are indeed, desperately wanting to get vaccinated already and this, to me is such good news.
Going back to the drive-thru reservation for purposes of future inoculation. Once registered, click “my record” and once there, you will have to give your number, put your name and then you will get a prompt to protect your privacy and then put your OTP or one-time pin.
In your account, when you see the red portion blinking, it means that there are vaccines that are available in the drive-thru. In the absence of this, it means that the vaccines have run out or there are no vaccines available yet.
Once you are registered, you may click and choose the date and then reserve. A message will then be sent to you which you may show when you go to Luneta. If not registered, click red on top and go to “reserve.”
Initially, only four-wheeled vehicles may avail of the free vaccination at the drive-thru site since we do not want bikers or motorcycle riders getting wet or risking their lives and limbs by driving on slippery roads which pose a threat to the safety of these two-wheel riders.
Vehicle owners may bring their unvaccinated family members or friends as long as they are also registered and at least one of them has made the reservation. However, each vehicle is entitled to a maximum of four persons only.
Rest assured that we in the city of Manila will continue vaccinating come hell or high water, even on weekends and holidays.
If the residents brave the floodwaters in their desire to get vaccinated and protected from falling severe or critical once they get infected with COVID-19, our vaccinating teams and all other city personnel involved in every mass vaccination do the same.
They also ignore the bad weather and floods just to make to the vaccination sites as early as an hour or two before the inoculation starts at 6 a.m. and they work for 14 hours since the vaccination ends at 8 p.m. or sometimes beyond that.
This is why I am grateful to them and of course, to my hardworking partner in governance, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna who even does the vaccination to the bedridden herself. She and Manila Health Department chief Dr. Poks Pangan are in charge of our mass vaccination program.
I am proud of all of them as much as I am also proud of every Batang Maynila who has heeded and continue to heed our calls for them to get jabbed.
With all of your continued support and cooperation, we will beat the virus and emerge victorious.
Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ninyong lahat. Walang magmamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, God first!
For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account--- ‘Isko Moreno Domagoso.’