BACOLOD CITY—The city government has created a COVID-19 Vaccination Council, a first among local government units in the country, the executive director of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) said Sunday.
“The creation of the COVID-19 Vaccination (CoVac) Council in Bacolod is a first among LGUs,” said LCP Executive Director Veronica Hitosis upon learning of its establishment.
With a “safe and effective” COVID-19 vaccine expected to be available in the market soon, the City Government of Bacolod has created its very own CoVac council that is tasked to plan and implement the City’s vaccination roadmap.
Considered among the first established by a local government unit in the country, the Bacolod CoVac was formed by virtue of Executive Order No. 83 issued by Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Dec. 22.
“It is the highest priority of the city government to ensure that the lives of Bacolodnons are protected from COVID-19. This is the preamble of our CoVac executive order. We must make sure we have accessibility and adequacy of vaccine supply,” Leonardia said.
CoVac is chaired by Leonardia himself, together with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as Vice Chair while City Administrator Em Ang will act as Council Coordinator. Councilors, City Department heads and other key personnel are members.
Selected medical experts from the private sector will complete the CoVac membership.
Earlier, Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. had personally informed Leonardia and publicly declared that Bacolod City is among the priority areas of the national vaccination program.
The mayor added: “While (Budget) Secretary Wendel Avisado has made a public pronouncement that vaccination is the responsibility of the national government, it is to the best interest of our people, nevertheless, that major and concrete steps are taken by our local officials to ensure that the City of Bacolod will be prepared to implement and manage this expected massive health program.”
“In light of the foregoing developments, the Bacolod City Government shall organize a council to oversee and ensure the expeditious and orderly acquisition and distribution of the vaccine in the city,” the mayor said in EO 83.
The creation of the CoVac came less than three months since the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC-TF) was established which became a benchmark of other LGUs. This innovation was preceded by what is regarded as the first Swab Mobile assembled in the country.
The CoVac Council is designated to plan, supervise, and implement programs and activities related to the Bacolod City COVID-19 Vaccination Roadmap, which is aimed at providing citizens access to the vaccine “at the soonest possible time with the widest and most realistic coverage possible.”
In fulfilling its functions, the council is tasked to closely coordinate with the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Department of Health, the Department of Budget and Management, the major leagues of local government officials, and other government and non-government instrumentalities.
Particularly, the Bacolod CoVac Council is in charge with:
(1) profiling and identifying members of priority sectors for COVID-19 vaccination;
(2) selecting and acquiring the COVID-19 vaccine(s) authorized for use in the Philippines;
(3) developing and administering a system for registering beneficiaries, tracking the distribution of doses, and monitoring of any adverse events following immunization (AEFI);
(4) selecting and developing vaccination centers in suitable places within the city;
(5) ensuring availability of suitable cold storage facilities for the vaccine, including mobile cold storage units to the extent feasible;
(6) developing and strengthening the supply chain for the vaccine, including transportation and distribution facilities, equipment, vehicles and systems, and other relevant assets;
(7) ensuring the availability of sufficient manpower to distribute and administer the vaccine, including medical and non-medical private sector volunteers wherever necessary;
(8) assisting to obtain the necessary funding for acquisition of the vaccine; and
(9) developing an information campaign to achieve public acceptance of the vaccine and awareness of its benefits.