CdO exec shuns ‘no vax, no ride’; says policy is anti-poor

 Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

ILIGAN CITY—Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno has shunned the ‘no vax, no ride’ policy being imposed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in order to hike the demand for vaccination amid the surge of cases in the National Capital Region.

“I’m concerned about the ‘no vaccination, no ride’ policy because it is anti-poor. But I’m a firm supporter of vaccination,” Moreno told reporters in Cagayan de Oro City.

He said that at this point, even when virus cases in his city spiked, there is yet no need for such “compulsive measures” given the high demand for vaccines from the local population.

“We only impose that policy when there’s a low demand for vaccines,” Moreno explained.,

As of Jan. 17, some 85% of the city’s 574,491 people eligible for vaccination have already taken their full COVID-19 shots, the highest coverage in the Northern Mindanao region.

Vaccination coverage has expanded fast due to the opening of more jab sites in malls and schools and the deployment of mobile vaccination teams.

“There are people lining up to be vaccinated, which means they’re interested. What’s important is we can address the demand,” Moreno emphasized.

The local government now caters to vaccine recipients even from outside the city. Upon request, it has also deployed vaccination teams to Manticao and Initao towns in Misamis Oriental to help in the rollout of vaccine shots there.

Moreno said that the more vaccinated individuals from throughout the region, the better for the city’s economy as these people can safely roam around its business establishments, helping to prop up trade and commerce.

Cagayan de Oro was placed under Alert Level 3 until the end of January.