Lapu-Lapu officials and representatives of multi-sectoral groups affix their signature on a printed commitment to support the city’s vaccination program billed as “Panumpa sa Kaakohan ug Pagpakabana”.
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Lapu-Lapu City will ask for an inventory of unvaccinated barangay officials and workers.
“We will request them to formally explain whey they don’t like to be vaccinated, para makabalo ta unsay ilang mga rason,” Jonah Pino, DILG Lapu-Lapu City head said.
Lapu-Lapu City has 30 barangays: 19 in mainland and 11 island barangays.
During the “RESBAKUNA Town Hall Gathering” in Lapu-Lapu City on Tuesday, Pino said that barangay officers may be liable for dereliction of duty if they refuse to promote the government’s vaccination program and if they remain unvaccinated without a valid reason.
With the aim “Beating the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Vaccination,” joint government agencies invited barangay captains, councilors, health workers, SK chair and councilors, senior citizen representatives, faith-based organizations, vendors, drivers associations, DepEd, and the academe in the town hall gathering.
With speakers from the Department of Health (DOH), DILG, Public Information Agency (PIA), and Lapu-Lapu City government, officials urged barangay, community, and organization leaders to expand the reach of COVID vaccination, to include those who remain unvaccinated at this time.
DOH speakers admitted that despite the City’s vaccination rate, the senior citizens in the City are still lagging compared with other LGUs.
Lawyer James Sayson, deputy chief of the Local Vaccination Operations Center (LVOC), said the city should sustain its intensity, in the vaccination forefront.
He said Lapu-Lapu is the first in the Visayas to have a mobile vaccination bus, the first to have its 12 to 17-year-olds vaccinated, and now the highest among Metro Cebu cities in the percentage of eligible population vaccinated.
In the gathering held at Eloisa Hotel, unvaccinated barangay captains, barangay councilors and SK officers voluntarily submitted themselves to be vaccinated.
The town hall gathering is also preparing the community leaders and community organizations for the coming vaccination day from November 29 to December 1.
At the end of the town hall gathering, community, organization officials, and speakers from government agencies pledged to promote the government’s vaccination program.
Then they all signed a commitment, “Panumpa sa Kaakohan ug Pagpakabana”. /rcg
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