Bombarded by criticisms on its proposal to implement a "no vaccine, no subsidy" policy for the beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) pointed to the local government units (LGUs) as co-proponents.

In a CNN Philippines interview on MOnday, Nov. 8, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the proposal is not merely from the DILG but “this is actually a result of the clamor of our local government units for a help from the DILG to have some sort of disincentive on the part of 4Ps beneficiaries’’ which is about four million in number.

He noted that the four million 4Ps recipients “is simply the households and “if you multiply that by three or four or maybe six then you’ll get some 18 to 20 Filipinos.’’

Based from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) data, Malaya noted that only 12 percent of the households have been vaccinated adding “that this is really a large segment of the population that we need to be vaccinated and we are running out of time and our target is to have a population protection by the end of the year.’’

Malaya emphasized that the DSWD is monitoring the recipients because under the 4Ps law the agency is tasked to conduct monthly family development sessions where the beneficiaries are encouraged to get inoculated.

“Although its true that (COVID-19 vaccine) supply was limited in the beginning and now the supply has stabilized we did allocate vaccine for senior citizens and despite the regular family development sessions conducted by the DSWD, we can only show 12 percent as our reward or as our outcome from these monthly family development. Yes, so we really need to, we have to look for other ways to ramp up vaccination that is why we’re considering this scheme,’’ Malaya explained.

The DILG spokesperson added that the government is targeting a million vaccinated individuals per day “that is why the DILG is proposing this scheme.’’

Malaya also pointed out that the LGUs sought the DILG’s assistance with the measly 12 percent vaccination rate for the 4Ps beneficiaries far off the intended daily inoculation target.

“We have been meeting with the mayors almost weekly since we started the ramped vaccination last month and we have been utilizing so many strategies to get people vaccinated. We have this education campaign to the family development session, town hall meetings, we’ve been holding town halls (meetings). Then, we have this bakuna sa barangay (barangay vaccination) program where we bring the vaccines to the barangays, mobile vaccines,’’ he noted.

In ramping up the vaccination program, Malaya said that President Duterte ordered the DILG to sanction the mayors who are slow or underperforming based on the target that the National Vaccines Operation Center (NVOC) has set.

Malaya clarified that the mayors are amenable to comply with the NVOC policy but also sought the DILG’s help in coming up with schemes “wherein it will be a disincentive for those 4Ps.’’

When asked if the proposal is Constitutional since it is not under Republic Act (RA)11310, Malaya maintained that “we will leave it up to the President, to the Department of Justice and the DSWD on whether on the legality of this issue.’’

“We are simply an implementing agency but we will defer to the Office of the President, to the DSWD and the Department of Justice (DOJ) if there are issues with regard to this (proposal),’’ Malaya said.

Malaya disclosed that DILG Secretary Eduardo Año fully supports the no vaccine, no subsidy proposal for the unvaccinated 4Ps beneficiaries.

“I’ve never spoken, I’ve never spoken in front of the media without clearing this proposal with Secretary Eduardo Año. That has always been by mantra from the beginning when I became spokesperson. I don’t speak for myself. I speak for the department,’’ Malaya pointed out. (Chito A. Chavez)