It’s not that the government is neglecting some areas in the deployment of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines nationwide, President Rodrigo Duterte said, noting the country is still coping with limited supply delivered in the Philippines.

“Let me just assure anybody, anywhere in the Philippines that the vaccines that we are giving are for all Filipinos. It’s just a matter of priority – kaya dito sa mga hotspots gaya ng Maynila na nandito lahat yung tao so ‘yung transmission ay mas mabilis. Pero kung sabihin mo mabigyan sila, mabibigyan sila (here at the hotspots such as in Manila where many people are here, so the transmission of the virus is faster. But if they would ask if they will be given vaccines, they will receive it),” Duterte said during his pre-recorded Talk to the People on Monday night.

Duterte assured that no areas will be neglected in the vaccine distribution, but said the vaccine supply in the country “is not yet stable” to expand further the local deployment.

“Ang problema talaga ng Pilipinas eh wala tayong supply na maganda kasi kung meron maibigay natin sa lahat. If we have numbers – sufficient vaccines – hindi na sila maghintay, ibigay na natin kaagad (The problem in the Philippines is that we don’t have enough supply. If only we have more supply then we will give it to them. If we have sufficient vaccines then they don’t have to wait, we will give them immediately) It’s just a matter of handling. Our worry is the handling and how the efficacy of the vaccine is protected,” he said.

Duterte added that the distribution will be done immediately after the bulk will be delivered in the coming months.

With limited supply, Duterte said the government should prioritize those high-risk areas where the dreaded virus can be more contagious, particularly in the populated and dense communities.

“Gusto namin pagdating ibigay na kaagad, unahin lang natin yung maiinit na lugar na maraming tao (We want to distribute the vaccines after arrival, we will just prioritize those populated hotspots). More persons, more transmission. Less crowd, less transmission,” he said.

All local government units (LGUs), he assured, will be given Covid-19 vaccines as much as they needed it.

“It’s not a matter of this national government forgetting you. We are always conscious of our duty to protect all Filipinos,” he said.

The government should hold vaccine deployment accordingly, he said.

“Kailangan natin na dahan-dahan lang. Inuuna natin yung mga maiinit na lugar tapos (We have to do it slowly and prioritize the hot spots) as the supplies come in, we are buying–we have the money,” he said.

Duterte said all LGUs, including those in the far-flung communities, will get their part from large volumes of the government-procured vaccines set to arrive in the coming months.

“We will see to it, I’m sure Secretary [Carlito] Galvez will see to it na darating yung mga bakuna doon Ang amin lang is ang handling niyan kung gaano kalayo ang lugar ninyo (that vaccines will get there. We just want to make sure about the handling in your far communities) because this vaccine is fragile. It’s handled with the utmost care,” he added.

Duterte called on the LGUs to get prepared with the arrival of vaccines in their localities so possible jab wastage could be prevented.

The government, he said, is “very conscious of its duty and fair to everybody”.

Duterte, meanwhile, announced he is set to personally welcome the deliveries of about 3 million doses of Moderna vaccines donated by the United States of America to the Philippines within this week.

To date, the Philippines has 34,275,740 doses of Covid-19 vaccine and administered a total of 20,863,544 doses. (PNA)

Photo Credit: Rody Duterte’s official FB page