Incentives eyed for barangays in fight vs COVID-19

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that with the increase of the National Tax Allocation for Negros Occidental, which was already included in the proposed P5.7 billion budget of the province for 2022, the provincial government is eyeing incentives for barangays that perform well in the COVID-19 vaccination program.

Lacson led the distribution of financial assistance of P300,000 each to 28 more barangays at the Provincial Capitol lobby in Bacolod City Monday.

He urged the barangay captains to create a demand for vaccination in their respective communities and not depend on local chief executives in the campaign for inoculation.

Lacson told the barangay captains that “It is only when you have willing constituents that you can create a demand, the governor told the barangay captains.”

He also said that he will let local chief executives decide if they will also give incentives to their barangays who will perform well in vaccination activities.

He clarified that the P300,000 financial assistance extended by the provincial government to each of the 601 Negros Occidental barangays is released every year.

Targeting 100,000 persons to be vaccinated a week, Lacson said they are aiming to achieve herd immunity by February next year, and not by December this year, as set by the Department of Health.

Of the P1.8 million targeted for vaccination in Negros Occidental, Department of Health-Western Visayas data showed that 407,333 are fully vaccinated, which is equivalent to 22.32 percent, while 111, 065, or 6.08 percent, have received one dose of the vaccine.

Negros Occidental topped Western Visayas provinces in the number of persons to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity in the fight against COVID-19.