Guv urges LGUs not to acquire 100% of vaccine requirements

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson asked local government units not to purchase 100% of their supply requirements of Covid-19 vaccines.

Lacson said the national government assured that all Filipinos would be vaccinated.

The governor recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte assured all Filipinos that they will be vaccinated, which refers to 70% of the population, excluding 17-years-old and below who were not included in the trials.

Lacson said the declarations of Makati and Quezon cities that they can buy their own vaccines prompted the national government to encourage other LGUs to also purchase their own needs.

“For me, I will not encourage that. But if some want to, that’s fine,” he said.

He stressed that the national government intends to vaccinate everybody.

The governor said he is not encouraging LGUs that already signified their intention to buy vaccines for all their residents.

Some LGUs, especially municipalities, aired reservations to purchase all of vaccines they need for lack of funds.

“We will make sure these LGUs will be covered by the program on the roll out of vaccines of the national government,” Lacson said.

But he said that the national government can only give whatever is available.

The provincial government of Negros Occidental had signed a multi-lateral agreement with the Department of Health, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, and the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical firm for the purchase of 100,000 doses of vaccines.