Local government units (LGUs) are earnestly preparing their needed logistic and manpower requirements for the massive inoculation drive against the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) for the “National Vaccination Days’’ slated from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya noted that the LGUs still need volunteers adding that the public wishing to extend their assistance for this cause may coordinate with the LGUs.

Dubbed as the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID vaccination drive’’, the government aims to inoculate 15 million individuals against COVID-19 in the three day vaccination campaign.

Over 12,000 vaccination sites and more than 36,000 COVID-19 vaccination teams in many parts of the country are on hand for the massive vaccination drive.

The National Vaccination Operation Center (NOVC) estimated that 50,000 volunteers are needed among them health screeners, vaccinators, post-vaccination monitoring personnel, health educators, registration teams and data encoders and consolidators.

In an ABS-CBN report on Friday night, Nov. 26, the Palace said workers who get the COVID-19 jabs on Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 won’t be marked absent.

Some LGUs will provide incentives like rice, vitamins and the like to those getting the COVID-19 injection while other localities plan to conduct raffle events to their constituents who get inoculated.

“Depende po sa LGU, kasi kanya-kanya ng financial capacity (it depends on the LGU since they have varying financial capacity),’’ Malaya said in the same ABS-CBN report.

The DILG spokesperson admitted having spoken to some LGU officials who will give rice, food and cash incentives to those going to get injected with the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Gaya ng sinabi ng pangulo (Just what the president said), he is authorizing the local government units to spend whatever amount they have to provide incentives like free meals and free food para sa mga nagpapabakuna (for those getting vaccinated),’’ Malaya noted. (Chito A. Chavez)