Rama: Fully vaccinated seniors, PWDs to get financial assistance first

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama says that fully vaccinated senior citizens will be the first to get their financial aid this December while the unvaccinated will be the last ones to receive their financial assistance. In this July 2021 photo is  a senior citizen, who gets vaccinated at the NOAH Complex. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Fully vaccinated senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Cebu City will get the last tranche of financial assistance ahead of the others this December 2021.

Mayor Michael Rama said this on Saturday, December 4, 2021, with the upcoming distribution of the last tranche of the financial distribution.

“Unahon ang fully vaccinated (The fully vaccinated will be the first ones), then after that the partially vaccinated, and last ang unvaccinated. But they will all receive the financial assistance. We will have a setup for that,” said Rama in a phone interview with CDN Digital.

The rationale for the policy is that the city wants to provide an advantage to vaccinated individuals and encourage more senior citizens and PWDs to get vaccinated.

In the case of the senior citizens, the city is aiming that by the end of the year, all 80,000 senior citizens will finally get vaccinated because they are among the most vulnerable sectors to the COVID-19 virus.

Rama has instructed all barangay captains in his meeting with them on Friday, December 3, 2021, to assist the city government in encouraging the seniors to get vaccinated by identifying and tracking these unvaccinatated seniors.

“Adtuon ang barangay. Wala nay rason ngano dili sila magpabakuna. Adtuon lang gihapon para iinform ug i-offer ang vaccination right in their homes. That will be the last thing to do,” said Rama.

(We will go to the barangays. There is no more reason for them for not getting vaccinated. We will still visit them to inform them and to offer the vaccination right in their homes. That will be the last thing to do.)

The city will also use the opportunity to get the actual data of the remaining unvaccinated senior citizens in the city.

City Hall personnel will be explaining to the unvaccinated seniors the importance of the vaccines and how this will protect them from the virus.

“We want to know ngano dili man ka magpabakuna (why you would not want to get vaccinated). Information is really the key,” said the mayor.

So that they will not lag behind in getting the financial assistance, Rama urged the senior citizens to get vaccinated immediately as all sites would now accept walk ins.

However, if they still refuse to get vaccinated, they will have to suffer the consequences as most establishments will no longer allow entry to unvaccinated individuals starting January 1, 2021.

They will still get their financial assistance, but not only will they get it last among the rest of the senior citizens, they will also be at an disadvantage.

“All of us should be helping each other. We will have Cebu City liberated from the pandemic. Vaccination is the way to liberation,” said Rama.

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