Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero asked the national government to reconsider its plan to sanction local government units (LGUs) who will be unable to expedite its vaccination rollout and reach their targets due to logistics and manpower issues.
Escudero said it was “unfair” to penalize LGUs for what may be perceived by the government as poor performance in inoculating their constituencies, in order to a achieve a national target of 1 million or more doses per day.
“Maging makatarungan sana sila sa panahong na binibigay sa amin,” the veteran senator said on Tuesday night during a DZMM radio interview, citing several issues which have hampered the vaccination drive in various localities.
Besides, he added, it took the National Capital Region (NCR) eight months to vaccinate 88 percent of Metro Manila residents versus the barely two months deadline for LGUs to complete their inoculation vaccination program while vaccines and supplies have yet to reach many other provinces.
“Walong buwan ang Metro Manila bago narating ang porsyentahing ‘yan,” Escudero said. “Ang binibigay sa amin matapos kaming bigyan ng sapat na bilang o doses ng bakuna ay humigit kumulang tatlong buwan lamang hanggang December 15. So, pagtabihin mo man ‘yon kahit kailan walang magsasabing makatarungan ‘yung comparison na ‘yun.”
“Kung tinigang ninyo kami sa bakuna noon tapos ngayon biglang bubuhusan ninyo kami ng bakuna at hinuli ninyo kami sa lahat, biglang mamadaliin ninyo kaming tapusin ng Disyembre? Halos imposible naman yata ‘yun dahil pagtagpi-tagpiin mo man, mas maraming duktor, nurse, midwife sa NCR at mayayamang siyudad kumpara sa mga lalawigang hindi tulad nila,” Escudero pointed out.
Sorsogon, home to almost 1 million people, has so far vaccinated 28 percent of its qualified population. When vaccination began in Metro Manila last March, Escudero recalled, the province only received around 1,000 to 2,000 doses per week until September.
It was only last October that Sorsogon started receiving 20,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines.
“Last week, they sent 46,000 doses of Pfizer. The problem is they did not send enough syringes. We were not informed about it so now we have to purchase some,” Escudero said.
While Sorsogon may have sufficient supplies of the coronavirus vaccines now, Escudero said, there might not be enough manpower to handle the daily vaccination activities as their doctors and nurses have other duties to do in the hospitals.
Unlike other provinces and cities where doctors and nurses abound, and in some cases medical students are mobilized to assist in the vaccination, Sorsogon, just like many LGUs in the country, doesn’t have a dearth of all those manpower resources, he added.
“Bukod sa vaccination, kami pa nagmi-maintain ng hospitals. So liwanagin nila ang kautusan nila kung ‘yan talaga ang gusto nilang gawin at tiyakin nila na wala rin silang pagkukulang at tiyakin rin nila na pantay din ang pagkakataon na binigay sa LGU bago sila magpataw sila ng anumang parusa,” the veteran legislator said, referring to the announcement of the Department of the Interior and Local Government to penalize LGUs for failing to meet their vaccination targets.