MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 on Monday to ensure the safety of those receiving vaccines.
Duterte instructed in his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) the task group to address issues at vaccination facilities, such as long lines and making people wait for hours to be immunized.
“I thus call on the National Task Force Against Covid-19 to see to it that this happens — I mean the protection,” Duterte said. “The Filipino does not deserve it even if they are not paying taxes. Because the theory of government is that all money belongs to the people and the money is there, it belongs to all of us and it should be used for public good.”
Duterte expressed his distress at seeing Filipinos struggle only to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
He suggested that the government seek for ways to ensure the seamless operation of its Covid-19 vaccine initiative.
He proposed providing cards to people going to vaccination sites and using large facilities such as gymnasiums and schools to alleviate excessive lines.
“Why do you have to do it to the Filipino? You can always, you know, maghanap ka ng (look for [ways]),” Duterte said. “We have spent enormous amounts of resources to build our capacities to overcome this pandemic. We cannot afford more lockdowns lest our economy bleeds to the point of irreversible damage.”
Duterte issued the new directive after expressing concern about the presence of the Delta variant, which is “much more aggressive and far more dangerous” than the original variant.
The national government’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign took the spotlight in the government’s response to the pandemic that struck the country in March of last year.
Duterte urged local government units in a pre-recorded Talk to the People on Saturday night to come up with a “more rational” vaccination process by providing a safe and dry vaccination location for Filipinos.
By the end of the year, the government aims to have vaccinated 70% of the country’s population to ensure population protection.
Since February of this year, the Philippines has received a total of 31,360,700 doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
As of July 25, around 11,113,107 people have received their first dose, with 6,089,314 having been fully vaccinated.
