MMDA secures 80,000 AstraZeneca shots for its personnel

MMDA personnel during a formation prior to their deployment. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said it secured 80,000 doses of vaccines from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca for the mass inoculation of its employees, adding that the agency also plans to share it with Pateros municipality.

“Kami naman sa MMDA, I think it’s 80,000 [doses] ang na-iorder na vaccines ng previous chairman na si Danny Lim. We can even share this with the municipality of Pateros,” MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos Jr. said in a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, when asked about MMDA’s vaccination deals.

(In MMDA, I think it’s 80,000 doses of vaccines ordered by former MMDA chairman Danny Lim.)

Abalos also said they already made 20 percent down payment for the Covid-19 jabs but he could not reveal the payment due to the non-disclosure agreement that they signed.

Asked about figures of MMDA workers willing to get vaccinated, Abalos said: “50 percent ang gusto magbakuna [50 percent of workers want to get vaccinated].”

In the same forum, Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the city also made 20 percent of down payment to the 200,000 AstraZeneca shots it availed.

“Nag-down payment na po kami noong 20 percent and that is P9,600,000. That is 20 percent of the closed P50 million,” he said when asked if the city government made down payment for the vaccines.

(We made a down payment of 20 percent and that is P9,600,000.)

San Juan on Tuesday also gave its down payment to the 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that it ordered in January.

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, World Health Organization representative to the Philippines, said they expect within the week the announcement on the schedule of delivery in the Philippines.

JPV