The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) vowed on Tuesday, Nov. 9, that it will not remove beneficiaries of the government's conditional cash transfer, or the Pantawid Pamilyancg Pilipino Program (4Ps), even if they would not agree to be vaccinated.

In a statement, the DILG said its call was to merely “withhold a portion of the benefit, the health and nutrition grant, until such time that the individual has been vaccinated.’’

“The proposal of the department to withhold a portion of the benefits of 4Ps beneficiaries under the Conditional Cash Transfer program is only one of several measures suggested to ramp up vaccination nationwide in order for our country to achieve 1 to 1.5 Million jabs a day and reach herd immunity before the end of the year,’’ the DILG said.

Based on the latest Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the DILG noted that only 12 percent of the 4.4 million 4Ps households nationwide have been vaccinated.

This is despite the various campaigns and interventions implemented by the government and the private sector which includes town hall meetings and family development sessions (FDS) as well as incentives in the form of Bakuna Benefits (discounts for the vaccinated), Bakunado Panalo (raffle promos), as well as the use of influencers to convince more people to be vaccinated.

“The intention behind this proposal is sincere and clear: to boost the inoculation drive in order to rise above the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) nightmare and reach population protection as soon as possible,’’ it added.

Nonetheless, the DILG pointed out that ‘we defer to the wisdom of the President if our suggested policy will be adopted or not.’’

“We urge and challenge LGUs to adopt other creative ways to change the minds of their constituents, including the 4Ps beneficiaries, from hesitancy to vaccine acceptance and willingness. This may be in the form of new incentives such as food or rice packs, raffle bonanza for the inoculated population, and one-stop shops offering a smorgasbord of government services to include vaccination, among others,’’ the DILG noted.

The DILG maintained that the COVID-19 pandemic requires concerted action and cooperation from everyone adding that the act of one has serious effects on the rest of the populace.

“It is the moral and ethical obligation of every Filipino to be vaccinated for us to be able to end this pandemic. In a public health emergency, the common good must prevail,’’ the DILG emphasized. (Chito A. Chavez)