The Makati City local government, together with Former-Vice President and senatorial aspirant Jejomar Binay announced the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to two other Sister Cities of Makati as part of its Sister Cities initiative.

Binay, together with Makati City Administrator Claro Certeza, gave the vaccines to officials of the cities of Marikina and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan in a turnover ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 3.

Also present were Ambrocio Mana-ay, representative from JC Binay Foundation Inc., Lourdeliza de Guzman, Cold Chain Manager for Marikina, and Abigail Paligad from the City Health Office of San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

The local government unit (LGU) said that it has already donated a total of 40,800 vaccine doses to several LGUs in the country. These include Batangas and its municipalities of Malvar and Cuenca; Urdaneta, Pangasinan; Malabon City, Meycauayan City, Bulacan; and Batac, Ilocos Norte.

The sisterhood program of the Makati City government began during the term of Binay as mayor. Now under his daughter, Mayor Abby Binay, the city has extended assistance to other sister LGUs throughout the country.

Certeza said the Sister Cities program is essential in nation-building as it not only helps Makati’s nearby cities and provinces respond to natural calamities and the pandemic, but also strengthens the bond between the “sister cities.”

“As our partners in nation-building, their rapid recovery is crucial to sustaining our mutual cooperation, which aims to drive sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth both at the local and national levels,” Certeza said.

To date, Makati has a total of 549 sister LGUs as well as sisterhood ties with 23 foreign cities and municipalities, many of which were formalized during the administration of former VP Binay.