AS part of his continuing campaign to protect as many people as possible amid the Omicron surge hitting the National Capital Region, presidential aspirant Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Tuesday directed the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works to immediately prepare a schedule for on-site booster shots for the thousands of construction workers employed in all ongoing projects of the city government.

The 47-year-old local chief executive issued the directive during a visit to the construction site of the 10-storey modern Manila Science High School along Taft Avenue.

“Ang gawin natin, mag-schedule na sa lahat ng construction site natin. Pai-schedule ako on-site para hindi masayang ang trabaho nila. Kasi ang gusto nila kita, hindi naman pwedeng tumigil sila ng trabaho. Para hindi na umabsent, sayang yung kita nila, papadala ako,” Moreno said to Manila City Engineer Armand Andres.

Moreno made the immediate decision for on-site booster shots after learning from project officials that all the workers, many of whom came from the provinces, have already completed their second vaccine doses.

The Aksyon Demokratiko presidential bet then went out of his way to approach the workers and asked them if they wanted to have booster shots.

“Papadalhan ko kayo ng booster,” Moreno assured the elated workers after they said yes.

Moreno’s directive will not only benefit the workers at the P1.3-billion Manila Science High School project but also all workers in the various city government projects under its own “Build, Build, Build” program.

The New Manila Science High School will be fully-airconditioned and with the following amenities: 158 classrooms, 16 offices, a library on the 2nd floor, an auditorium and a gymnasium both on the 10th floor, a canteen at the ground floor, two outdoor basketball courts with retractable goal convertible into a football field, a roof deck outdoor sports and exercise area, five big elevators with a 25-person capacity and a five-stairs node.

“Parang magiging La Salle na ito. Ang ganda pa kasi nasa Taft Avenue. Matutuwa yung mga magulang ng estudyante. First class. Parang private school,” said Moreno, who was happy and contented at what he saw during the site inspection.

Besides the Manila Science High School, two other modern city public schools are being constructed at the same time.

In July last year, Moreno led the groundbreaking ceremony for a 10-storey building at the Rosauro Almario Elementary School in Tondo. The city has allotted P1.9 billion for the project.

The city of Manila also broke ground for the construction of the new Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Sampaloc last August, with P2 billion allotted for the project.

Meanwhile, six residential buildings for informal settlers are in various stages of construction across the city. These are Tondominium 1 and 2 worth almost P1 billion; the P401-million Binondominium; the 20-storey San Lazaro Residences in Sta. Cruz; the 20-storey Pedro Gil Residences in San Andres Bukid; and the 20-storey San Sebastian Residences in Quiapo.

Moreno also led the groundbreaking ceremony of the P110-million Pres. Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital at the Baseco Compound last October. Once completed, the three-story, 50-bed hospital will become Manila’s seventh public hospital.

Moreno said providing booster shots to all the workers in the various projects not only ensures undisrupted construction but also ensures that workers enjoy continuous employment.

“Masaya sila, laging may trabaho, tuloy-tuloy ang trabaho,” Moreno said.

Meanwhile, Moreno’s vice-presidential candidate Dr. Willie Ong asked the public not to panic even if Covid-19 cases continue to increase in the following days and weeks.

In a live video on his Facebook account, Ong said people, especially those 18 to 50-years-old, should not worry in case they get the virus as the effects of the Omicron variant are just mild.

“So ‘yung mga tao lahat nagmumura, nagagalit, nagpa-panic, pinipilit na lang daanin sa comment para mawala ‘yung lockdown. Pero syempre gamitin natin ‘yung utak natin. Tsaka kalma lang tayo tutal nakakalabas naman tayo sa Alert Level 3. So, sasabihin ko sa inyo ang tunay,” Ong said.

“So Omicron na two… two weeks ko na sinabi kasi sa taas eh, at sa trajectory ng ibang bansa. So, Omicron to mukhang mas mild sya, okay. Kaya kahit 33,000 sya o ilang thousand man “yan kakayanin natin ‘yan, marami mabubuhay. Sinabi ko nga 18 to 50-years-old kahit ‘yung mga 12 to 18-years-old kaya ‘yan. Kahit ‘yung 50 to 60 malamang kakayanin ‘yan,” Ong explained.

The 58-year-old cardiologist and internist said he had patients whose age range from 80 to 90-years-old who also got Omicron but managed to survive it.

“Kung ang 80 to 90-years-old kinaya ang Omicron, kayo kakayanin nyo din dapat. Kaya huwag masyado matakot,” he said.

Ong, at the same time, answered questions from some of his viewers who asked if vaccines injected to people are useless against the Covid-19.

He explained that when the world was hit by Smallpox and Polio, successful vaccination programs help in the eradication or prevention of the further spread of the deadly diseases.

“Hindi po useless ang bakuna. Bakit hindi useless? Dapat isipin natin ang history ng bakuna na matagal na eh, mga 1940s, 1950s. ‘Yung Smallpox nakamamatay, talagang bulutong na nakamamatay. Dahil sa nagbakuna ang buong mundo sa Smallpox na puro bulutong na para talagang namamatay ‘yung mga bata nawala na ang Smallpox sa mundo. Swerte tayo,” Ong said.

Ong said there is a need for Filipinos, especially those who remain unvaccinated, to get the jab in the soonest possible time to protect themselves from the deadly virus.

He said taking the jab is a proven way to prevent oneself from getting seriously ill or worse, dying due to Covid-19. Marlon Purificacion with Itchie Cabayan