Vax allowance, better jab reg procedures sought
HOUSE committee on ways and means chairman and Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda on Sunday called for a vaccination allowance and better registration procedures to encourage more Filipinos to get vaccinated with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccines.
This was Salceda’s rsponse to the announcement by the Department of Health (DoH) that it will launch a raffle for those who will get vaccinated.
“The problem is not the lack of some probability of winning a big prize. The problem is for many, they have to skip a work day just to get jabbed. For the average wage worker, that will cost them the day’s pay,” Salceda stressed.
“Earlier this year, I already proposed that we give a day’s worth of minimum wage as a vaccine incentive. There are places where that’s being done already, like Davao City,” Salceda recalled.
“The point is, you compensate for the trouble. Even with a raffle, for many working class Filipinos, foregoing a day’s wages is too much,” Salceda said.
Salceda bared that Bicol’s vaccine supply is still in need of boosting.
“Region-wide, we are just at 10 percent of the population vaccinated. That’s among the lowest in the country. We need help,” Salceda said.
Salceda also warned that “the lack of vaccines could threaten the strength of our response.”
“Our COVID-19 response in the 2nd district of Albay has been hailed by the DoH and other groups as a model to follow. But it could go wrong with the lack of vaccines,” Salceda explained.
“Look at the example of Vietnam. They were among the best in the world for minimum health standards and non-pharmaceutical interventions. They are now facing among the world’s worst surges because of a lack of vaccines, not because of neglect on the part of their government,” Salceda warned.
“The point is, get more vaccines in regions that are undervaccinated, because here, we are aching for vaccines,” he said.
“In places that are starting to get saturated, of course vaccine demand will plateau. I assure you, get more vaccines in Bicol, and you will see faster vaccination,”
Salceda added.
