Marikina to seek partnership with private sector for vaccine procurement
MANILA, Philippines — Marikina City will coordinate with the private sector to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for its residents, city mayor said Tuesday.
“We are aiming for partnership with the private sector and hopefully an effective policy can be crafted immediately on the national level regarding covid 19 vaccination so that LGUs [local government units] can properly act towards the national goal of mitigating the effects of covid 19, synchronize and collaborative efforts by local and national governments can be achieved,” Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said in a text message to INQUIRER.net when asked about plans for the city’s vaccination program.
This is on top of the P82.7-million worth of funds allocated in the city’s 2021 budget for the vaccination of the locality’s residents.
Meanwhile, Teodoro also noted that they will prioritize employees to boost economic activities in the city.
“Working population ang targeted sector namin sana para masustain ang economic activities [We are targeting the working population to sustain the economic activities],” the mayor said responding to a query about their prioritized sector for vaccination.
As of Jan. 4, the Department of Health documented a total of 6,918 cases of coronavirus disease in Marikina. Of the number, 6,497 are recoveries while 146 are deaths.