Without any fuss, Tagbilaran City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio “Toto” Veloso and the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) are also pitching their share in an effort to finally put an end to the pandemic.
Lately, the SP asked Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) and the Department of Health (DOH) for more vaccine doses, especially for the senior citizens.
In a resolution on May 21, Veloso and the city council requested the IATF and DOH to include the city in the list of priority local government units (LGU) for the distribution of vaccines coming from the Covax facility amid the surge of Coronavirus disease (Covid) cases.
Coun. Augustinus Gonzaga sponsored the important measure as seconded en masse by the rest of the council members.
The legislative body cited the need to inoculate the 11,000 registered senior citizens as the reason to provide the city with more vaccine doses.
The on-going vaccination rollout already includes the priority group A3 covering the persons of ages 18-59 who have comorbidities.
On June 10, 2021, Galvez replied to Veloso that the SP request was already favorably endorsed to the National Vaccine Operations Center (NVOC).
The vaccine czar committed to the vice mayor to grant the request while thanking the city government for its constant support to the national effort of containing the pandemic in the country.
Galvez assured the SP of 11,700 doses of Pfizer and several Sinovac vaccine doses which were received by a provincial government team at the Tubigon port the other Saturday, June12, 2021, Veloso said as he thanked Galvez for the additional vaccine doses.
The province received all the vaccine supplies from the national government and delivered them to the cold storage facilities of the province, city and at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital to be distributed to different LGUs and local health offices.
Furthermore, the province shared with the city additional 5,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine as requested by Mayor John Geesnell Yap II, said Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force spokesperson and Provincial Health Office in-charge Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez.
Veloso and the council have allocated this year P15 million to finance the purchase of vaccine doses.
Even if the city has the money to buy vaccines, the reality is that the national government remains in charge of the procurement of these jabs.
The city council worked hard to find funds for the purchase of the ultra-low freezer that will be used to store vaccines, reports say.
On Friday, June 25, 2021, Veloso led the council in approving a supplemental budget that includes funding of not less than P6 million that will be used for the city’s Covid response.