No intention to distress LGUs with poor vax rollout: Palace

MANILA – It is not the intention of President Rodrigo Duterte to distress local government units (LGUs) with a poor coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination drive, Malacañang said on Friday.

Duterte merely wanted to deliver a message that ramping up the vaccination rollout in the country is important to defeat Covid-19, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual press conference.

“So, huwag naman po kayong mag-alala. Hindi naman po intensyon ng Pangulo na gipitin ang ating mga lokal na pamahalaan. Pero ipinaparating niya iyong mensahe na importante na mabigyan ng proteksiyon sa lalong mabilis na panahon ang ating mga kababayan (So don’t worry. It’s not the President’s intention to distress our local governments. But he is sending a message that it’s important to give our countrymen protection at the soonest time possible),” Roque said.

In his regular Talk to the People delivered on Tuesday night but aired Wednesday morning, Duterte directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to sanction LGUs and local chief executives over their slow vaccination rollout.

Marinduque Governor Presbiterio Velasco, president of the League of Province of the Philippines, said LGUs need time to catch up with the government’s Covid-19 vaccination target, noting that many of them are used to receiving only a few vaccine supplies.

Roque said Duterte had made the pronouncement just to remind LGUs that they should go “full blast” on administering Covid-19 vaccines.

“I can assure Governor Velasco, hindi po kayo ginigipit. Binibigyan lang po natin ng prayoridad talaga ang pagbabakuna (we are not distressing you. We are just giving priority to the vaccination campaign),” he said. “So, dahil dito kinakailangan naman magkaroon ng learning curve kumbaga ‘yung ating mga lokal na pamahalaan na sapat na ngayon ang bakuna at talagang dapat full blast (our local governments must have a learning curve that we should go full blast because there is a sufficient supply of vaccines).”

As of Thursday, a total of 62,474,334 Covid-19 vaccine doses has been administered nationwide.

About 28,718,856 individuals have already been fully vaccinated, while 33,755,478 others have received the first dose of the vaccine.

On Thursday, Duterte also ordered National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police to provide all the necessary support to LGUs, particularly in the delivery of vaccines and mobilization of resources.

The DILG is set to meet with local chief executives to thresh out issues affecting their respective Covid-19 vaccination drives.