CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Cagayan de Oro has joined other local government units of big cities that are allocating their budget to purchase vaccines for the coronavirus (COVID-19).
This decision comes as the rate of infections in the city is rising plus reports of a new strain emerged in some parts of the world.
Mayor Oscar Moreno said in his daily press briefing on Thursday that the city-government is considering to allocate P300 million to 500 million in their budget for the vaccination program.
“(I)f need be, we will set aside that amount but we want to know how much do we really need and the timetable to implement the rollout. I think that the city may need to allocate P300 million to P500 million for the vaccination and we will have to set aside funds for that,” Moreno said.
“We’ll be meeting with all City Hall departments concerned on our commitment to the national government in the vaccine rollout program. There are already some local governments that specified a certain amount for the vaccination but we in the city want to make sure that we can commit the funds,” the mayor added.
Moreno further said that private companies may even fund the vaccination for the benefit of their employees and staff.
“As I’ve said before, the vaccination rollout program in Cagayan de Oro City will benefit in part from the private companies, especially banks and financial institutions which are expected to fund the vaccination of their employees based in the city,” said the mayor.
Moreno said the health department and other national government agencies have already coordinated with them for data of the city’s population for the vaccination program.
Aside from Cagayan de Oro, other local governments in Mindanao who have announced their intention to procure the vaccine for their residents are Zamboanga City, Davao, and Iligan, and Lanao del Sur province. (davaotoday.com)
Cagayan de Oro City, coronavirus, covid-19, Mayor Oscar Moreno, Mindanao, Northern Mindanao, pandemic, Vaccine
