Mayors need protection from COVID-19 – Locsin

DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. (FILE PHOTO)

 MANILA, Philippines — City and town mayors need to be protected from COVID-19 as they are likewise exposed to the virus like frontliners, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said Friday.

Locsin made the remark amid reports of some city and municipal mayors receiving COVID-19 vaccines ahead of medical frontliners.

“Just bad taste but mayors need to expose themselves to the public and COVID infection. Exposure and protection essential to local public officials’ job as to front-liners doing theirs,” Locsin said in a tweet.

“Let’s move on to real problems of supply and delivery,” he added.

Just bad taste but mayors need to expose themselves to the public…& Covid infection. Exposure and protection essential to local public officials' job as to front-liners doing theirs. Let's move on to real problems of supply and delivery. https://t.co/ICetG4Jfy4

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) March 26, 2021

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier issued show-cause orders to five mayors for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the prioritized individuals.

The show-cause orders were addressed to Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, T’boli, South Cotabato Mayor Dibu Tuan, Sto Niño, South Cotabato Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos, Legazpi City, Albay Mayor Noel Rasa and Bataraza, Palawan Mayor Abraham Ibba.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., meanwhile, both reminded Filipinos to adhere to the priority list of the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

Aside from the mayors, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez likewise got vaccinated despite not being on the government’s priority list.

gsg