Dauis mayor and League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), Bohol chapter president Marietta “Miriam” Sumaylo defends the Bohol mayors who were believed to have “jumped the line” and received anti-Coronavirus disease (Covid) vaccines before their supposed turn.
Sumaylo comes to the defense of the three (3) Bohol mayors who were mentioned by President Duterte in a late evening televised “talk to the people” program on March 24, 2021, to have been reportedly inoculated with anti-Covid vaccine despite not being on the priority list of vaccine recipients.
The president named San Miguel mayor Virgilio Mendez, Lila Mayor Arturo Piollo and Alicia mayor Victoriano Torres III as the mayors from Bohol who got the jab when it was not their turn yet as the medical frontliners are the ones who are supposed to be vaccinated with the early vaccine supply that arrived in the province.
In a letter, Sumaylo wrote to Duterte and explained why the mayors decided to take the jab when they were not supposed to.
“We are writing to you on behalf of LMP – BOHOL in response to the issue about the Bohol mayors who were inoculated without them following the succession of those indicated in the priority list for the vaccine. With due respect to your office and those concerned, we firmly believe that these Bohol mayors did not “jump the line”, as alleged and as they said. It was inevitable for them to be vaccinated first for the following reasons:
• They had to show to their constituents that there is nothing wrong if one is vaccinated because the vaccines are proven for their safety and efficacy.
• They had to combat the belief of majority of the people that something is going to happen to a person after the vaccination.
• They wanted to be role models of being brave, not only for themselves, but for the entire community,” Sumaylo wrote in her letter to Duterte.
Sumaylo added: “May we kindly inform you, Mayor President, that as of now, a very large number of these mayors’ municipal population have vehemently hesitated vaccination; have not fully believed in COVID-19; and have expressed their opposition to the vaccine. Moreover, Bohol has some of the staunchest non-believers of vaccines to the extent that these non-believers attach and justify this decision to their religious beliefs. Hence, the mayors, took the cudgels to obliterate the negative notion of the vaccine carved in the minds of the people by volunteering themselves to be vaccinated ahead of their slots.”
Sumaylo, in the same letter, further said that, “We also believe that what the mayors did will hasten people’s acceptance of the vaccine, so that as soon as the vaccines for the masses shall have arrived, the latter, without any hesitation, would run first and fast to have themselves vaccinated. We all share in the belief that we should go back to normalcy not just soonest time possible but the safest way possible.”
The LMP president told the President through the letter the following: “We are also happy to inform you, Mayor President, that right now, we are implementing information dissemination drives in our municipalities, through the MIATF [Municipal Inter Agency Task Force]. Why? This is to combat the spread of fake news against the vaccine’s safety that is done mostly through the social media. These fake news items are poisoning the minds of the people and are driving them away from their support against vaccination.”
She concluded her letter by saying: “We would be grateful, as we always are, for your consideration and understanding of the mayors’ initiative regarding the vaccination issue. If we missed our cue regarding this matter, we wish to be corrected without any harsh consequence as we believe that our kind of governance is one which suggestive and not punitive.”
Sumaylo in separate interview told The Bohol Tribune that as of yesterday afternoon, April 3, 2021, there is no “show cause” order issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to local mayors unlike five mayors from Tacloban, Leyte; T’boli, South Cotabato; Sto. Niño, South Cotabato; Legaspi City, -Albay; and Bataraza, Palawan who were issued show cause orders.
The Dauis mayor said that remarks made by her fellow mayors in their chat group prompted her to write to Duterte and explain on behalf of the mayors involved. She said there were comments in the chat group asking about the action taken by the LMP-Bohol president regarding the matter.
Moreover, she told The Bohol Tribune that one of the reasons she wrote to Duterte was a text message she received from the national leadership of the LMP.
In the text message, which Sumaylo shared with The Bohol Tribune, the issue concerning some LMP members getting inoculated ahead of schedule, was discussed.
The text message also mentions that the mayors are now under priority A4 from B3, based on the advice coming from the DILG.
PRIORITY SLOT UPGRADED
The DILG, last March 26, 2021, upgraded the priority status of provincial governors, mayors and barangay captains from B3 to A4.
DILG USec. Epimaco Densing III said the national Inter Agency Task Force approved the upgrading of the priority status of the said government officials.
It means that governors, mayors and barangay captains will be able to be inoculated with the vaccine after the medical frontliners (A1), the indigent senior citizens (A2); and other senior citizens and people with co-morbidities (A3).
Densing said that 1,715 governors and mayors and 42,046 barangay captains may now get the jab earlier than expected.