BATANG MAYNILA
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
Before anything else, I would like to express my profound thanks to the countless well-wishers who continue to pray for me and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna. All your love and concern is what gives us strength, hope and inspiration amid all the difficulties we are facing.
As probably all of you know by now, I and Vice Mayor Honey both got infected with COVID-19, inspite of all the necessary precautions we have been taking in the course of discharging our duties.
I am thankful that Vice Mayor Honey, who tested positive a week ahead of me, had already been discharged and is just completing her oral medications at home, where she continues to be in quarantine for a week, upon the recommendation of Dr. Grace Padilla, director of the city-run Sta. Ana Hospital.
Dr. Padilla, along with Dr. Nerissa Sescon who is chief of the Manila Infectious Disease Control Center, took very good care of the vice mayor and are now looking after me and the rest of all other patients who are confined in our hospital.
I commend and express gratitude to them and to all the other health workers and medical personnel who continue to face the risks of infection just to help and save their patients.
What happened to me and the vice mayor is a clear proof that the vaccines can never be equated to immunity, which is why we continue campaigning for the strict observance of health protocols namely, wearing of facemasks, frequent hand washing and physical distancing.
We are both fully-vaccinated with Sinovac and yet, we got infected. And even if we tested negative in the many number of times that we got swabbed in the past, testing positive this time around no longer came as a surprise, considering the option we took, which is to fully function, knowing the residents have no one to depend on but us in the city government.
As I have stated repeatedly in the past, the vaccine will not provide immunity but, based on studies, it will give the recipient added protection from falling into severe or critical condition if he gets infected.
In our case, I knew it was forthcoming, somehow, due to the nature of our job. We consider it as part of the so-called occupational hazards.
While both Vice Honey and I were in confinement, operations in Manila City Hall went on as usual.
I am proud and happy that based on reports coming from City Administrator Felix Espiritu and Secretary to the Mayor Bernie Ang, the heads of departments, offices and bureaus at the Manila Cty Hall continued to function in a normal and orderly fashion, without need to be reminded of what they should do.
They reported to me that all forms of assistance being regularly given to the residents continue unhampered or without disruption and the utmost dedication and efficiency of the city employees and officials during the entire period of the pandemic did not change a bit even in our temporary absence as a result of our confinement.
For instance, Manila department of social welfare chief Re Fugoso had expressed confidence that they will be able to meet the 15-day deadline given by the national government for the distribution of the financial aid under the social amelioration program, since the assigned daycare and social workers go overtime without being asked to. The distribution of benefits for our senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities and students also continue as scheduled.
Re had reported that over P1 billion out of the some P1.5 billion SAP downloaded to the city of Manila had been distributed. Of the 380,000 total, 257,147 families have already received their financial aid.
In the same breadth, Dr. Arnold ‘Poks’ Pangan, head of the Manila Health Department, has reported that the mass vaccination program continues and in fact has brought the city of Manila much nearer to reaching the 800,000 mark to achieve population protection.
As of this writing, 704,467 have been fully vaccinated by the local government despite the strict scheduling system being followed as per the regulations set by the Department of Health. Those vaccinated with first dose is now at 1,148,237 and the total vaccines administered is 1,813, 907.
The drive-thru vaccination and free swab tests also continue as usual and operations in our quarantine facilities, city-owned hospitals and the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital remain normal.
All of these only goes to show that the system we have established in the delivery of our basic services and assistance to our constituents is working very effectively and that even in our absence from City Hall, our employees and officials continue to work above and beyond their call of duty.
I take my hat off to them, along with our health and medical frontliners, for a job well done. I am so very proud of all of you. You gave the term “public servant” its truest meaning. Kudos!!
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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.’