House and lot top prize in vaccination drive raffle bonanza

Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar. Image from her Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Still nervous about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? What if it comes with a chance to win a house and lot?

For Las Piñas City residents, such instant fortune is being offered as an antidote to vaccine hesitancy.

On Friday, Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar announced she would raffle off a P1.5-million house and lot by the end of the year, on top of monthly draws for motorcycles and grocery packages. The raffle is open to Las Piñas residents who have completed or received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Every month starting in June, Villar said, 10 city residents who have already received COVID-19 shots may each take home a grocery package worth P5,000. At the grand draw in December, a house and lot courtesy of Bria Homes is up for grabs, with two motorcycles as consolation prizes.

No gov’t funds used

Bria Homes is a subsidiary of Golden Bria Holdings Inc. chaired by the lawmaker’s billionaire father, former Sen. Manny Villar.

Rep. Villar said no government funds would be used for the raffle as the prizes would all come from her personal sources.

“This program aims to reinforce the importance of getting vaccinated for people, their families, and the community. It will not only protect people but help our economy slowly recover,” Villar said in a statement. “Through this effort, we also have a chance to increase awareness and confidence in vaccines.”

The Las Piñas offer is one of the latest, if not the biggest, initiative by a local government offering incentives to residents still hesitant to be inoculated despite heightened information campaigns. Other cities or towns have offered sacks of rice, vegetables, even cows.

Senators on Friday welcomed suggestions to “sweeten the pot” for the still undecided population.

“If it helps, why not?” Sen. Francis Pangilinan told the Inquirer.

Be creative

But Pangilinan said he preferred “modest incentives,” such as grocery baskets, instead of expensive rewards.

“The focus should still be in raising awareness, health education, and aggressive information dissemination regarding the safety of the vaccines,” he added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto agreed that rewards could go a long way in addressing vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos, which could undermine the drive to herd immunity.

“We should use all legal—and creative—means possible to have every Filipino vaccinated,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson said. “This is not only for our people’s healthy well-being, but also for making our economy vibrant again—and ultimately get our prepandemic normal lives back again,” Lacson said.

For Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon, “the best reward or prize for getting a vaccine is protection. That should be the message to motivate people to get vaccinated.”

A Social Weather Stations survey released last week found that only three out of 10 adult Filipinos are willing to get vaccinated if they had a chance to be given free Covid-19 vaccine that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Data from the Department of Health showed that as of May 25, more than 3.4 million Filipinos have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while more than a million had received their second dose. The number was still way below the minimum target to have 25 million Filipinos inoculated to achieve what the government called “herd containment.”