‘TIME is of the essence,” said government’s vaccine czar, as he appealed to the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) Board of Trustees to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) paving the way for the construction of a mega-vaccination facility on a portion of its 15-hectare property in Parañaque City.
In a news statement on Sunday, National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. said, “With the government’s target of vaccinating 500,000 persons per day in the NCR [National Capital Region] and 200,000 people daily throughout other parts of the country, this vaccination center brings us closer to our goal of inoculating at least 50 million Filipinos and achieving herd immunity within this year.”
The mega-vaxx facility, which can inoculate about 12,000 persons a day, will be built for free by the ICTSI Foundation, the social responsibility arm of listed global port operator, ICTSI.
“With the expected arrival of the bulk of our vaccine orders by the second and third quarter of this year, it is crucial to build up our country’s capability to handle and administer them. And the key in this line of effort is the establishment of more vaccination centers nationwide,” said Galvez.
“We therefore call on the NPF to heed our call and sign the MOA as soon as possible. We can no longer afford to waste time. The future of our people and nation depends on it,” he underscored.
Trees vs lives
“[We] believe it is inappropriate for the NPF to equate the fate of 500 Ipil-Ipil trees with the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Filipinos. Moreover, the proposed site of the facility is a reclaimed piece of land and not a protected forest or a marine sanctuary,” explained Galvez. Ipil-ipil is a shrub that can grow in three years, and not endemic to the Philippines.
ICTSI Foundation has hired renowned architect and environment planner Felipe Palafox Jr. to design the facility. “Considering Mr. Palafox’s track record, we are confident he has already factored in the environmental impact of the project in the design of the vaccination center. He said that he respects the environment and will make sure his firm’s design will reflect this belief.” (See, “Mega-Vaxx Site At Nayong Pilipino Stalled,” in the BusinessMirror, May 7, 2021.)
The NTF chair also attested to the character of ICTSI chairman Enrique K. Razon Jr. “[His] integrity is beyond question. It was through his efforts that private firms forged a tripartite agreement with the national government to procure 7 million additional doses of Moderna vaccines.”
Galvez added that ICTSI Foundation “also spent billions of pesos for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment, relief goods and personal protective equipment for health care workers, as well as the establishment of the biggest mega temporary treatment and monitoring facilities for our Covid-19 positive patients.
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