Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya pushed for the passage of House Bill Nos. 8648 8649 aimed to fast track the procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to the local government units, during the recent hearing of the House committee on appropriations.
As the committee vice chairman, Gasataya co-authored the proposed legislations knowing the importance of providing vaccination for the people in the soonest time possible and to ensure that those who will get the shots will be provided adequate care by the government.
The two House bills seek to grant the LGUs the authority to purchase their own vaccines and acquire equipment and service needed in the procurement, acceptance, storage, and administration of vaccines in a fast and effective way.
Also included in the proposed laws is the provision of funds for the monitoring of the vaccinated individuals, and the epidemiology and surveillance units under the Department of Health for the adverse effects following immunization.
Tax and duty exemptions for LGUs in the procurement, distribution, and administration of vaccines were proposed as well.
In Bacolod, the city government has already submitted its vaccination roadmap to the DOH Region 6 and is awaiting its approval, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.
Leonardia, who chairs the COVID-19 Vaccination Council, said the proposed vaccination roadmap once approved will served as city’s official guidelines in its COVID-19 mass vaccination.
The proposal was prepared by OIC-city health officer Dr. Edwin Miraflor and Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center deputy for medical Dr. Chris Sorongon.
City Administrator and CoVaC coordinator Em Ang personally submitted the vaccination map to the DOH-6 on Feb. 11.
Bacolod is among the first LGUs in the country that negotiated to procure their own supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Having reserved 650,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, Bacolod is poised to kick off its vaccination program in the third quarter of the year.
“Our vaccines will come possibly in July but we would like to keep the ball rolling. What we want for Bacolod is that when the vaccines come, everything is smooth and in order,” Leonardia said. – NND
