Cebu City’s fully vaccinated folk reap windfall of prizes

FILE PHOTO FROMTHE CEBU CITY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE FACEBOOK PAGE

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has paid off in more ways than one for at least 253 residents in this city.

In the first two draws of the city government’s “PabakunaTa Bonanza” raffle program aimed at encouraging more Cebuanos to get inoculated, two individuals each won a motorcycle, another received a laptop while five others got P25,000 worth of gift checks each from SM Supermalls or Metro Retail.

Also raffled off were minor prizes like five washing machines, 40 32-inch TV sets, 50 sacks of rice, 100 electric fans and 50 flat irons.

For the grand raffle draw on Dec. 23, a house and lot at Deca Homes Subdivision and a brand-new Toyota Vios, among other prizes, are up for grabs.

Unvaccinated residents can still participate by registering online through pabakunata.com and getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The winners were picked in two electronic raffles held on Nov. 11 and 14, using a program developed by the Management Information and Computer Services of the city government.

Donations from private sector

Their names were posted on the Facebook page of acting Mayor Michael Rama and the city’s public information office, with the prizes to be claimed at City Hall.

According to Rama, no public funds were used for the prizes since these were donations from the private sector.

“God is good because there are people with noble intentions who are helping us out. We who are in government should set an example by bringing the program and opening it to all. We have to be working as one and the philosophy is still convergence,” he said.

Dr. Jeffrey Ibones, officer in charge of the Cebu City health department, said that over 416,000 individuals in the city have so far received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 361,000 were already fully vaccinated.

He said the city was targeting the inoculation of at least 700,000 out of its one million residents or 70 percent to achieve herd immunity.

As of Nov. 13, Cebu City has 241 active cases of the coronavirus, according to the Department of Health.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, at least 41,183 individuals in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, with 39,451 recoveries and 1,491 deaths. INQ