Vice President Leni Robredo teamed up with Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto for a two-day Vaccine Express initiative to vaccinate some 4,000 members of the A5 category or the vulnerable and indigent sector in the city.
In an interview on the sidelines of the initiative, the vice president highlighted the importance of vaccinating this sector against COVID-19 because of the recent surge being experienced in the country.
“Ngayon na surge, gusto natin na ma-doble pa iyong numbers ng vina-vaccinate (Now that there is a surge, we want to double the numbers of the vaccine recipients),” Robredo, who visited the site with Sotto on Saturday, August 21, said.
On Saturday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 16,694 new cases of COVID-19, the second highest daily tally since the pandemic started. It also reported a positivity rate of over 25 percent for the second straight day.
Pasig City is not the first LGU that Robredo teamed up with for her Vaccine Express initiative. She piloted the program in Manila with Mayor Isko Moreno, then brought it to her hometown of Naga City and nearby Iriga City and Quezon City with Mayor Joy Belmonte.
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But in Manila and Quezon City, the target beneficiaries were the essential economic workers such as tricycle and pedicab drivers and delivery riders. In Naga and Iriga, the program vaccinated senior citizens and people with co-morbidities.
“Ito po actually hindi ito first na programa natin with Pasig. Noon pong bago pa lang iyong pandemic last year, iyong Pasig po isa sa pinakauna nating partner (This is actually not our first program with Pasig. During the start of the pandemic last year, Pasig is one of our very first partners),” she said.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) worked together with Pasig LGU for the Community Mart, which gave market vendors and tricycle drivers a chance to make a profit during the pandemic. It also established a Community Learning Hub in the city to augment the virtual learning of students.
READ: Robredo expands online market in Pasig
“Napakaganda po ng experience namin dito sa Pasig (We have a very good experience here in Pasig),” she said.
She noted, however, that it is the LGU that gave them access to some 4,000 vaccine supply since her office does not have its own supply of vaccines.
The OVP’s role is to set up the vaccine site, bring in the volunteer medical workers, and call for beneficiaries to get jabbed. With their private partners, Robredo’s office was also able to provide a post-vaccination care kit that included paracetamol, bottled water, and face masks.
“Pero iyong bakuna, mas marami sana kaming mababakunahan kung may access kami sa supply. So ngayon po, ang dami naming nakukuhang mga requests from LGUs. Ine-explain po namin na wala po kaming bakuna (But for the vaccines, we can vaccinate more if we have access to a supply. For now, we are receiving requests from LGUs. We explain to them that we don’t have vaccines),” Robredo said.
Rolando Samson, 57, one of the vaccine recipients said that the process of getting jabbed is “fast,” adding that other people should also get their vaccines.
“Sana gawin nila ito para magpabakuna hindi lang para sa sarili kundi para sa ibang tao rin (I hope that others will also get vaccinated not only for themselves, but for other people, too),” he said during Robredo’s radio show on Sunday, Aug. 22.
Dr. Ruby Ilaga, a volunteer doctor from Bulacan who is also a part of Robredo’s Bayanihan E-Konsulta, said that the vaccine recipients were “very receptive” because they want to be vaccinated.
“Naniniwala ako sa ginagawang pagtulong ni vice president (I believe in the help that the vice president is doing). You have to reach out to many people...we may save many lives,” she added.