The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday said it will mobilize youth officials of villages to help in the country’s national vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) set from November 29 to December 1.
‘Yun pong mga miyembro ng SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) ay gagamitin natin bilang encoders (We will utilize the SK members as encoders and we will coordinate closely with the LGUs para ang mga SK ay ma-mobilize natin para sa Bayanihan Bakunahan (to mobilize the SK for the Bayanihan Bakunahan),’’ DILG spokesperson, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said in a Palace briefing.
He added that the agency will come up with a memorandum circular (MC) “in a few days’’ compelling all local government units (LGUs) to ensure the ample number of personnel and vaccination sites in their respective turfs.
He said the MC will assure that the LGUs will be compliant in their daily vaccination targets to the qualified individuals while ensuring that their logistical needs in the inoculation process are met.
Aside from the SK officials, Malaya noted that the DILG will also tap the services of the Department of Education (DepEd) teachers as encoders with millions of qualified persons due for vaccination against Covid-19.
The DILG spokesperson emphasized the need to speed up the LGUs vaccination data’s encoding process so that they will be included in the government’s VaxCert.ph digital certification.
“Meron din po tayong mga additional encoders mula sa DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) sa kanilang government internship program (We also have additional encoders from DOLE from its internship program,’’ Malaya noted.
Malaya pointed out that the DILG will employ social mobilization activities to entice more individuals to get vaccinated in the three-day “Bayanihan, Bakunahan’’ program.
Under the social mobilization activities, Malaya said that the government will conduct a series of town hall meetings in the barangays with the medical and allied health societies to sway the favor in getting inoculated and rid them of their vaccine hesitancy or vaccine preference.
“Moving forward, we will hold social mobilization activities for the three-day Bayanihan Bakunahan. First, we will be conducting a series of town hall meetings in villages, medical societies at allied health societies to encourage those who are hesitating to avail of the jabs” he explained.
He added that the DILG together with the Department of Health (DOH) and the private sector are developing collaterals that include radio ads, posters, and streamers that can be used to encourage more people to avail themselves of the jabs.
Malaya also bared that the DILG has sought the LGUs’ assistance to enhance their incentive programs to woo more individuals to raise their confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.
“Ito po yung mga raffle, bigas o kaya naman cash na ating binibigay sa ating mga kababayang ayaw sana magpabakuna ngunit through the incentive program ay sana mahikayat atin na magpabakuna (These are the raffles, rice, or cash that are given to the people that are hesitant to get vaccinated but through the incentive program we hope to convince them get the jab), said Malaya.
When asked about the preparation for the national vaccination day, Malaya said they are now in the preparatory phase and the national vaccination operations center is outlining the target for each LGU.
“Magkakaroon tayo ng target bawat LGU kung ano yung kailangan nilang kontribusyon sa ating tatlong araw na vaccination day. Nakalagay po diyan sa target na yan ang numero ng mga doses, numero ng mga vaccination teams at mga vaccination sites na kailangan buksan at kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa DepEd (Department of Education) dahil ang mga eskwelahan po ay gagamitin din natin na vaccination sites para dito sa malaki nating programa (We will have a target for each LGU on what they need to contribute to during the three -day vaccination day. That target includes the number of doses, number of vaccination teams and vaccination sites that need to be opened and we are grateful to DepEd because they allow to use the schools as vaccination sites for this in our big program),” Malaya noted.
Malaya said the DOH is inspecting the different vaccination sites and they are currently evaluating the capacities of the LGUs.
“We mobilize other government agencies and stakeholders at yung atin pong AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) at PNP (Philippine National Police), BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management of Penology), BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) will deploy additional personnel. Yun pong AFP sa mga geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas at yun naman pong ating kapulisan, BJMP at BFP ay gagamitin po natin yung kanilang medical corps para magbakuna. Yung ating kapulisan of course will continue to provide security para sa ating mga vaccination sites (We mobilize other government agencies and stakeholders and our AFP and PNP, BJMP, BFP will deploy additional personnel. That is the AFP in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and that is our police, BJMP and BFP, we will use their medical corps to vaccinate. Our police will of course continue to provide security for our vaccination sites),” he stressed.
The government is targeting to vaccinate at least 15 million Filipinos during the three-day national Covid-19 vaccination program dubbed “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” Day from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19, bared that the national Covid-19 vaccination initiative will involve a “whole-of-society and whole-of-government” approach.
Galvez noted that the event, which aims to simultaneously expedite the coronavirus inoculation drive, will be conducted in all 17 regions across the country.
“As we ramp up the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination nationwide, the national government shall facilitate the vaccination activities and expedite vaccination of individuals with zero-dose by devoting three days solely for vaccination activities nationwide,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
