City of San Fernando, Pampanga (Google maps)
MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga – Four hundred fifty seven college students of a private school in the City of San Fernando were vaccinated against COVID-19 in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the city government announced on Friday.
In its social media post, the city government said students of the Our Lady of Fatima University located in the provincial capital had volunteered to be vaccinated as part of the “Padyak! Para sa Flexible Learning, Sama-Samang Vaccination Program.”
It said the program was part of CHED’s initiative as it pushes for limited face-to-face classes in selected colleges and universities.
In a statement, the city government, quoting CHED chair Prospero De Vera, said the vaccination is not mandatory.
“The approach of CHED is not to require it, it is to convince and incentivize vaccination. It is easier for this batch now because there are available vaccines. There should be no reason why students can’t get vaccinated. But is it a required mandate? It is not, but we encourage them,” the city government quoted De Vera as saying.
The city government said Our Lady of Fatima University was among the schools to receive a certificate of authority from CHED to conduct face-to-face classes for medicine and allied medical degree programs.
(REUTERS)
It said the university is applying for face-to-face classes for its other degree programs after Malacañang allowed it for engineering and technology, hotel and restaurant management, tourism, marine engineering, and marine transportation programs.
On Friday, the capital city registered 21 new COVID-19 cases, 165 recoveries and a single death. Its has 911 active cases.
It has recorded a total of 11,020 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began last year (9,810 recoveries, 299 deaths).