CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Pampanga Gov. Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda is leading the efforts of the provincial government to raise an initial P200 million to P300 million to be able to purchase doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine and immunize priority sectors in the province.
“Kailangan po nating magtulong-tulong para makabili ng epektibong anti-COVID-19 vaccine. Hindi po puedeng iasa ang lahat sa national government [We need to help each other to be able to buy an effective vaccine against COVID-19. We cannot rely solely on the national govenment to do the vaccination program],” Governor Pineda said on Sunday.
He said the vaccine should be administered before the second quarter of 2021 to medical frontliners in public and private hospitals handling COVID-19 patients as well as to workers in private companies to strengthen the capacity of the health system while restarting the economy.
These groups would consist the first batch of recipients of vaccine allotments from the national and provincial government.
For the multi-sectoral fund drive, Governor Pineda urged local executives and legislative councils in 19 towns and three cities to appropriate funds for the vaccination program. He said Vice Governor Lilia Pineda and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan are supportive of larger allocation proposals from him.
“We will all have to sacrifice some projects in order to prioritize further the health needs of our constituents,” the governor said.
He is set to begin dialogues with the business sector, which is encouraged to put up counterpart funding and launch other means.
He said the brand of vaccine should be approved by appropriate health authorities and purchased in accordance with the government’s procurement law.
In a meeting last Dec. 18, former President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo and provincial officials discussed ways to help the local economy recover from the pandemic. As consultant to the provincial government, Ms Arroyo recommended the clustering of barangays in enforcing health protocols, with councilors overseeing the clusters.
She said that in this way, COVID-19 incidence in Pampanga, which is much lower than those of other large provinces near Metro Manila, would flatten further.
