- MITCH M. LIPA
Mayors of third class municipalities in Negros Occidental are lobbying that the acquisition of vaccines for their constituents should be shouldered by the national government.
This despite the mandate for LGUS to design their own programs for COVID-19 vaccination.
Don Salvador Benedicto Mayor Marxlen de la Cruz said the national government should consider the revenues of low income LGUs most of which cannot afford to procure vaccines.
Dela Cruz said since COVID-19 is a national health crisis, the national government should take care of immunizing the whole population.
But if it is difficult to consider their request, he continued, he expressed hopes that the provincial government would be able to cover the balance of their requirement after the national allocation.
Dela Cruz aims to vaccinate the required 70 percent of its population to achieve herd immunity which is around 20,000 residents.
They would be needing about P13 million, he said.
He is hoping for enough vaccines to cover the more than 36,000 Don Salvadorians.
San Enrique Mayor Jilson Tubillara echoed De la Cruz’s sentiments saying that most of his colleagues in the League of Municipalities are hoping for free vaccines for all third class LGUs.
But if it is not possible, the municipal mayors will seek the help of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson to sponsor the vaccines for half of their remaining residents after the national government’s commitment.
Meaning, if the national government can cover the 30 percent of the total population as earlier mentioned, then the province and the municipality will divide the 70 percent remaining so that the municipality will only allocate 35 percent worth of vaccines to cover their total population.
Tubillara added if the governor will agree to his proposal, he is ready to spend between P3 million and P4 million for the vaccines of his about 24,000 constituents.
Tubillara, who is a doctor by profession, advised Lacson not to start the vaccination program until all vaccines for two doses have already been fully delivered.
He said it will only take a 21-day gap to administer the second dose after the first inoculation. – MML
