President Duterte has recognized the best performing local government units (LGUs) under the categories of Safety Seal certification, VaxCertPH and the National Vaccination Program.
“Salute to all the recipients of this day's awards for your robust commitment and partnership with the national government as we altogether implement these programs down to the grassroots. I know and acknowledge that without your support, we would have not surmounted the past two years of this pandemic. Kaya nais kong ipaabot sa inyo ang aking taos-pusong pasasalamat (That is why I would like to extend to you my heartfelt thanks),’’ Duterte said.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año said that two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the winners have demonstrated synergy with the national government's implementation of various programs.
He stressed that the rest of the LGUs can learn from the winners and implore them to emulate their victory.
"The victory of today's winners are founded on their cooperation and support to these programs which have changed the landscape of the country's COVID-19 response. Pagbati sa inyong tagumpay at hangad namin na kayo ay pamarisan ng iba pang mga LGU sa bansa (Congratulations to your success and we wish that the other LGU in the country will emulate you),’’ Año said.
Año noted that the winners for best performing LGUs in support of 'Bayanihan Bakunahan' determined by the Department of Health (DOH) were categorized according to the percentage of accomplishments for the second doses, A2 doses, and total doses administered.
For the ‘Second Doses Accomplishment’ category, Zamboanga City was hailed first placer followed by Agusan Del Sur and Taguig City while under the ‘A2 Doses’ category, Ilocos Norte was the top-performing province.
Meanwhile, Nueva Ecija topped the ‘Total Doses Administered’ category followed by Cavite and Bulacan.
"Vaccination is our main weapon against COVID-19 and to have the full commitment and support of the LGUs in this life-saving government initiative is an essential ingredient in public health protection. Congratulations to the winning LGUs at salamat sa inyong patuloy na paghahatid ng mga bakuna sa bawat Pilipino," Año said.
VaxcertPH victory
As more Filipinos are inoculated, Año said millions are also able to register for the VaxCertPH with the cities of Marikina, Iloilo and Davao being the best performing LGUs under the Highly Urbanized City (HUC) category for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao respectively.
For the Component City/Independent Component City (CC/ICC) category, Año noted that Antipolo City, Rizal is the winner for Luzon; Roxas City, Capiz for Visayas and Malaybalay City, Bukidnon for Mindanao.
In the municipality category, San Simon, Pampanga bagged the citation for Luzon; Caluya, Antique for Visayas; and Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon for Mindanao.
The winners were picked using the percentage of line list submission, and the percentage of closed requests and were collated by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
Safety Seal Certification
DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan E. Malaya said winners for the Safety Seal Certification Program were categorized depending on the issuing authority either LGU-issued or DILG-issued.
For the LGU-issued Safety Seals, Malaya said that Quezon City led the winners under the HUC category with 5,800 Safety Seals granted to establishments followed by Makati City with 3,538 Seals and Pasay City with 2,181.
Dasmariñas City, Cavite issued 500 Seals to get first place for the CC/ICC followed by Bacoor City, Cavite with 324 Seals, and Santa Rosa City, Laguna with 281.
For the municipality category, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya was hailed the winner with 807 Safety Seals issued followed by Santa Niña, Cagayan with 541 Seals and Naujan, Oriental Mindoro with 529 Seals.
On the other hand, DILG-Manila City bagged the top plum for the DILG-issued Safety Seals under the HUC category with 557 followed by DILG-Zamboanga City with 317, and 247 for DILG-Quezon City.
With 284 Safety Seals issued, DILG-San Carlos City, Pangasinan led the CC/ICC category followed by Candon City, Ilocos Sur with 272 and 231 for DILG-Ormoc.
It's an all-Ilocos Sur list of winners for the Municipality category with DILG-Santiago taking home the 1st place with 289 Safety Seals issued closely followed by DILG-Narvacan with 258 and DILG-Magsingal with 208.
The Safety Seal program awards public and private establishments or buildings with a Safety Seal indicating that a particular building or establishment is compliant with health protocols against COVID-19. (Chito A. Chavez)