Cebu town mayor reveals getting inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine ahead of frontliners

CEBU CITY –– A town mayor in Cebu admitted he got inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine ahead of the municipality’s frontliners.

In a teleconference with reporters on Monday, Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Peña said there was nothing wrong if he received a dose of AstraZeneca vaccine since he considered himself a front-liner.

“It is okay because I work like a frontliner. I meet our COVID-19 team a lot,” said Pena.

The local government of Minglanilla posted on its Facebook page photos of Peña’s inoculation.

Before he was inoculated, Peña said he asked his colleagues in the task force, including doctors, if he could be vaccinated.

They agreed, he said.

Aside from Peña, over 100 healthcare workers were vaccinated at the Regional Health Unit facility in Minglanilla on Tuesday.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, spokesperson of the Department of Health in Central Visayas, said she was surprised when she learned that Peña submitted himself for vaccination.

“If we are to base on the priority list, the subgroup A are supposed to be medical healthcare frontliners only,” she said.

Loreche said mayors and other politicians are still not included in the list as of now.

LZB