More Metro Manila cities allocate funds for Covid-19 vaccine

The city government will prioritize healthcare and medical workers for the immunization against Covid-19. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – The San Juan city government on Monday has started the registration for residents interested to avail of free Covid-19 vaccine shots once they become available.

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said the Covid-19 vaccination program will be free for all residents as the city government allocated a PHP50-million budget for the procurement of the vaccines.

The city government will prioritize healthcare and medical workers for the immunization against Covid-19.

They will be followed by the indigent senior citizens, Zamora said.

Residents who wish to receive free shots of the Covid-19 vaccine may register online via the link https://forms.gle/1N39ywUFnUdWwPgDA, or they can visit their respective health centers and barangays hall to assist them for manual registration.

“Ang datos na ito ang magiging basehan namin sa dami ng bakuna na ating bibilhin (This data will be our basis for the quantity of vaccine that we will procure),” he said in a video statement.

Zamora said the national government will be providing budget allocation to support the inoculation program in the city.

He then urged San Juan residents to register for the Covid-19 vaccination program.

On the other hand, the Valenzuela city government is targeting to spend PHP150 million funds for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines which will be administered for free to its residents.

Mayor Rex Gatchalian said allocated budget for the inoculation program will be sourced from the city government’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRMMF) and the Quick Response Fund (QRF).

“Our efforts are meant to augment and supplement the initiative of the national government who will take the lead on this endeavor,” Gatchalian said, noting that the city government is just waiting for the list of approved vaccines from the Food and Drug Administration and IATF.

“We will just wait for FDA and IATF to give the go signal to procure,” Gatchalian said.

In Caloocan, Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan announced on Monday that the local government unit will augment the necessary fund to guarantee that residents will receive free Covid-19 vaccines this year.

In a message to reporters, the Caloocan LGU said it is shelling out PHP125 million as an initial fund to procure the vaccine.

“This is to augment ang bakunang ilalaan sa ating lungsod ng Pamahalaang Nasyunal. Ito ay upang matiyak natin na kung kulangin ang ilalaan ng National Government ay may nakahanda tayong pambili, upang matiyak na bawat mamamayan ng Caloocan ay mababakunahan nang sa gayon ay matiyak ang kaligtasan ng lahat,” Malapitan said.

Malapitan added that the PHP125-million fund is already prepared but their LGU is capable of allocating some PHP1 billion additional fund for the vaccine.

He said they will get the amount through a loan application.

“Matagal na tayong nakipag-ugnayan sa pamamagitan ng pagsulat sa pharmaceutical companies para masiguro na makakakuha tayo ng bakuna tulad ng Pfizer at Astrazenica, subalit hihintayin pa rin natin kung anuman ang aprubadong bakuna mula sa Food and Drug Administration at ng national government (We have been communicating with pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca to make sure that we can avail of vaccines. However, we will wait for the FDA and National Government approved vaccines),” Malapitan added. (with reports from Christine Cudis/PNA)