Mayor Beng Climaco has committed to fully support the mass vaccination program slated by the National Inter-Agency Task Force this month, as she thanked Secretary Carlito Galvez and the NIATF for ramping up vaccine supply to Zamboanga City.
Climaco made this commitment during a meeting called by the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) attended by more than 600 local government unit representatives from different cities and provinces in the country the other day.
Top agenda during the virtual meeting was the National Vaccination Day set middle of this month intended to speed up inoculation of eligible population and consequently achieve herd immunity as soon as possible.
The mayor recommended the involvement of cabinet secretaries to assist regions in the vaccination program and ensure focused attention on the gaps and challenges of each and every region in the country.
Based on record, Zamboanga Peninsula region is 12th out of the 16 regions in the county in terms of vaccination status.
She expressed gratitude to Sec. Galvez and his deputy, Sec. Vivencio Dizon, Health Sec Francisco Duque and Local Government Sec. Eduardo Año for their commitment to provude continuous vaccine supply to Zamboanga City and Region 9 and help accelerate vaccination rollout.
Sec. Año has encouraged the full cooperation of LGUs toward vaccination as directed by President Rodrigo Duterte with the of air, sea and land assets of government, PNP and AFP.
The mayor likewise appealed for workplace safety in government offices including police and military camps, as these worksites have been considered hotspots of COVID-19.
In the same meeting, Climaco also called for synchronization of policies, task lists and templates in COVID-19 response to guide LGUs and ensure uniform and standard policies for all.
On the other hand, the mayor also cited during the meeting, the need for the NIATF to further review policies on face shields, stressing that the city supports easing the use of face shields outdoors.
Meanwhile, Olongapo Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. recommended incentives for basketball and non-contact sports for fully vaccinated individuals, as DILG Usec. Epimaco Densing re-echoed measures to allow LGU’s initiatives for fully vaccinated individuals.
(Sheila Covarrubias)
(Source: City Government of Zamboanga Facebook page)