Ilocos Sur town starts building a house offered as prize to boost COVID-19 jab drive

This house is being built by the government of Santa town, Ilocos Sur province to be given away to a fully vaccinated resident as the grand prize to boost its vaccine drive against COVID-19 (Photo courtesy of Santa local government unit)

LAOAG CITY—The government of Santa town in Ilocos Sur province has begun building a house offered as an incentive for town residents to get inoculated against COVID-19, officials said.

The Department of Health (DOH) in the Ilocos region said Wednesday that the construction was expected to be completed in December in time for the raffle draw on Dec. 16.

The house and lot would have two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, according to the DOH.

Santa Mayor Jesus Bueno Jr. announced the incentive, which includes the land where the house will stand, on May 28.

Bueno said the house costs around P300,000.

In a July 12 statement, Bueno said he hoped to convince more town residents to get the jabs for their protection.

No government funds would be spent for the raffle prize, according to the DOH.

“The prize is a donation from the Mayor of Santa, Ilocos Sur. The lot is a private property of the local town chief located in Barangay Labut Norte,” it added.

Only the “poorest of the poor,” or those listed in the Social Amelioration Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, who do not own any property, such as a house erected in Santa, would qualify for the house-and-lot package, the DOH said.

But Bueno said the town residents should not focus on the prize but the “safety of the vaccines.”

“The best reward or prize for getting a vaccine is protection,” added Bueno.

The latest data from the Ilocos Sur provincial government show that 49,670 individuals have been vaccinated since March 5, the start of the roll-out in the province.

To achieve herd immunity, the town needs to inoculate at least 14,992 people, based on the 2020 census.

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