Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said on Tuesday he will allow bazaars to operate in the city to give businesses the opportunity to earn as the country enters the Christmas season.
Domagoso assured that minimum health standards will be followed and that everything will be done smoothly.
“Rest assured that what happened to MindaTienda, how it was done and hanggang natapos nakita naman na talagang naging maayos (until its last days, everything went smoothly) so we will do the same thing,” Domagoso said.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), in partnership with the city of Manila, held a three-day bazaar in October showcasing products and handicrafts from the Mindanao at the Kartilya ng Katipunan.
Meanwhile, Domagoso said he met with the country’s executives representing pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and announced he allocated an additional P50 million for the city’s supplemental budget which will be used to buy COVID-19 vaccine.
This, after Pfizer said Monday that the COVID-19 vaccine the company is currently developing was more than 90 percent effective.
Domagoso said the meeting aimed to get the latest developments regarding Pfizer’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
“We just finished meeting with Pfizer’s top executives in our country to get updates on the COVID-19 vaccine,” Domagoso said in a Facebook post.
“We informed them of the readiness of the City of Manila to buy P250 million worth of vaccine from them for the city’s residents,” Domagoso said.
On the bazaar, Domagoso asked the Manila Bureau of Permits to start gathering all possible businesses, whether from Manila or not.
“I have already tasked Director Levi Facundo last Friday to gather all possible Manilenyos who have products to sell, those who have skills or talents for handicrafts. It doesn’t matter if they are from Manila or not, everyone is welcome,” said Domagoso.
“In fact, we will put a place for them to have an opportunity to earn extra and to provide job opportunities,” he said.
Domagoso said if malls in Manila decide to do their sale bazaars, he will support them as long as businessmen and consumers continue to be responsible and follow health protocols imposed.
However, Domagoso maintained that Christmas caroling will be banned in the city.
Domagoso likewise said they will continue with their testing efforts and give free Covid-19 swab tests in the city to protect both businesses and the consumers.
In August, Domagoso said he signed Ordinance No. 8659, allocating P200 million worth of supplemental budget for 2020 for the purchase of vaccines once these become available.
Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE are considered the first drugmakers to release successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they have so far found no serious safety concerns and expect to seek U.S. authorization this month for emergency use of the vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech have a $1.95 billion contract with the US government to deliver 100 million vaccine doses beginning this year.
They have also reached supply agreements with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.
