Senator Joel Villanueva's kids -- Jaden and Gwen -- got vaccinated against COVID-19 on Friday, Feb. 11, at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City as the country continues to fight the dreaded disease.
Villanueva said he is not hesitant to get his kids vaccinated because there are studies which said that all COVID-19 vaccines were proven safe and effective for minors aged 5 to 11.
"That's the reason why I temporarily stopped campaigning just to accompany my children for their vaccination," Villanueva said.
"I am here because I believe in vaccination. I believe this will help my children," he added.
The senator also renewed his call for free COVID-19 testing, and supports intensified free vaccination efforts in view of easing the pandemic alert level in Metro Manila and the return of face-to-face classes.
"It is important that our children be vaccinated because they are the ones who are most affected by what we called Covid slide," Villanueva said.
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora announced on Thursday, Feb. 10, that the city has ranked first in pediatric vaccinations and booster jab deployment among all cities in Metro Manila.
In his Facebook post, Zamora said that a total of 736 children were vaccinated on the first day of vaccination for the 5-11 age bracket on Feb. 7 based on the Department of Health’s (DOH’s) data. This made San Juan the city with the highest number of vaccinees in a day.
Meanwhile, Villanueva said that his 11-year-old son, Jaden, is already attending face-to-face classes at the Community of Learners—School for Children in San Juan City.
San Juan City also reopened on Thursday, Feb. 10, its face-to-face classes amid the declining number of active COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.