Several government agencies, along with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), will provide manpower support for the simultaneous “Bayanihan Bakunahan National Vaccination Days’’ slated from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
This was disclosed by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya on Monday, Nov. 22, saying it will ensure sufficient manpower during the intense vaccination drive.
With the steady rise in the vaccine supply, authorities are hard pressed to raise public trust on the COVID-19 antidote as it bids to entice more people to get inoculated with the target of achieving herd immunity this year.
Malaya said that teachers from the Department of Education (DepEd) and personnel from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will be dispatched as encoders during the Bayanihan Bakunahan vaccination drive to complement the workforces of the SK and DILG’s attached agencies.
The Labor Department will provide additional encoders for the inoculation drive through its Government Internship Program (GIP).
“Kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa DepEd dahil ang mga eskwelahan po ay gagamitin din natin na vaccination sites para dito sa malaki nating programa (We thank the DepEd for the use of the schools as vaccination sites for our huge magnitude program),’’ Malaya said.
To entice more people to get vaccinated during the three-day vaccination program, Malaya said that the DILG will also conduct social mobilization activities like town hall meetings in the barangays to dispel vaccine hesitancy and vaccine preference.
Malaya also called on the vaccinated individuals to volunteer in their respective local government units (LGUs) admitting the sore need for more vaccinators, data encoders and other service personnel for the inoculation drive.
Earlier, the DILG said that it will mobilize the SK members to ramp up the logistical requirements during the vaccination process.
The DILG spokesperson disclosed that the youth sector led by the SK has expressed their willingness to extend manpower support to the three-day vaccination drive to ensure the smooth conduct of the activity.
Malaya added that the DILG is closely coordinating with the National Youth Commission and the SK Federation on this matter.
Malaya noted that the Philippine National Police (PNP) will also be on hand to maintain peace and order in the vaccination sites while the medical teams also from the police force, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) will assist in the conduct of vaccination.
On the other hand, Malaya said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will also help ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of vaccination in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) areas.
Malaya revealed that the DILG will release a memorandum circular (MC) to the LGUs to ensure ample manpower in the vaccination sites to allow the localities meet their daily vaccination targets with the country aiming to provide COVID-19 jabs to 1 to 1.5 million individuals daily. (Chito A. Chavez)