“FOR those who are “feeling privileged,’ be it known that we are certain about our rules.

Thus stressed Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, as he hailed the vaccinating teams for their sacrifices amid the ongoing massive inoculation in the city and told them to ignore those who display a sense of entitlement to circumvent the rules governing the deployment of vaccines.

The city government once again exceeded its own record on its third consecutive day of mass vaccination, by registering 16,261 in terms of vaccines deployed in a single day.

The city’s vaccinating teams headed by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and Manila Health Department (MHD) chief Dr. Arnold Pangan, have been operating for 14 hours a day, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m., just to inoculate as many as possible in at least 18 designated sites.

“Ours may not be a perfect governmen, may never be a perfect system but what matters most is the result. Congratulations to the MHD, you continue breaking the record,” the mayor said.

“Ang iba sa inyo (MHD personnel), alam ko nakakatikim kayo ng masakit na salita sa tao dahil siguro sa pagka-inip nila, sa excitement nila o may ilang gustong makaisa, ayaw pumila nang maayos. Just continue… ‘wag nyo unawain ‘yung iilang pa–espesyal at gustong maging espesyal,” Moreno said.

The mayor’s pronouncement was also made in reference to a social media post where a netizen complained of not getting vaccinated even after receiving a text message. The netizen claimed to have a comorbidity but did not bring any proof, which is required under the regulations set by the Department of Health (DOH) that supplies the vaccines to the local government units.

Moreno said the netizen concerned claimed to have a comorbidity in filling out the pre-registration form which is why he received a text message for his vaccination schedule.

“Sagutin n’yo nang tama dahil system-generated yan. Be responsible. Tandaan ninyo kayo ang sumasagot sa form hindi kami, lalo na sa medical history,” Moreno said, pointing out that pre-registration is not a ticket to get special treatment but just a way to make the process faster, since all that one has to show is his QR code, compared to walk-ins which is time-consuming since the details will still have to be taken at the site.

“Sa mga individual na gustong maging special sila, intindihin sana ninyo ang sakripisyo ng mga taong-gobyerno para lamang mailigtas ang bawat Batang Maynila. Sa mga doktor, nurses, encoders, vaccinators and other people involved in the vaccination program, carry on,” he said.

Moreno added: “Naawa ako sa MHD. Nasaktan kalooban nila sa sinabi na para ba daw walang sistema, Di po totoo. Me iba kasi, hindi nagbabasa..di sanay sa pantay-pantay na pagpila. May iilan gusto special sila, feeling privileged. No, we are certain about our rules.”

The mayor cited a video he saw about two weeks ago, showing billionaire tycoon Jaime Zobel de Ayala who queued up for his vaccine while seated on a monobloc chair, which he said is worthy of emulation.

Moreno noted that given his resources, Ayala could have just flown via chartered flight to the US to get vaccinated but he did not.

“He has shown us humility, compassion and understanding. Sabi niya, lahat naman tayo Pilipino. ‘’Yun ang dapat na kopyahin natin,” he stressed.

Moreno has declared that the local government will continue with its long hours of mass inoculation even during weekends and holidays, for as long as the vaccines land in the city.