TACLOBAN CITY—Mayor Alfred Romualdez said he was ready to face any investigation by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) after having himself vaccinated ahead of the city’s health workers.
“If I have violated any guidelines, I am willing to face the consequences,” Romualdez said. “I am only for the protection of our people. I have said it before that I am willing to be vaccinated first just to encourage our people to have themselves vaccinated.”
Romualdez said he did it to ease the fears of his constituents, including health workers, since only 50 percent of them were willing to be vaccinated.
He said he didn’t even hide his vaccination from the public to boost the acceptability of the vaccine.
Romualdez cited the case of Gloria Fabrigas, the city health officer, who earlier didn’t want to be vaccinated for “health reasons.”
But after witnessing the mayor’s inoculation, she changed her mind and had herself vaccinated on March 22.
City administrator Aldrin Quebec said the vaccine used was just an “excess” of the vaccines given to city health workers.