The local government of Manila has identified “persons of interest” who “agitated” people to troop to vaccination sites, with several vans and buses dropping off potential vaccinees near SM San Lazaro early Thursday dawn.
“We have seen the CCTV. We saw the faces of the suspected individuals,” Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said in a Facebook live video Friday.
He said the persons being investigated do not appear to be residents of Manila as they do not have QR codes, a requirement in the vaccination program of the local government.
Domagoso said hackers “attacked” Manila’s vaccination registration website 133 times Wednesday night, hours before thousands of people trooped to SM San Lazaro and other vaccination sites in the capital.
“Maybe it is just a coincidence. The night before the chaotic situation in SM San Lazaro, our website was attacked 133 times by hackers,” he told ANC’s Rundown.
The hackers reportedly attempted to overload the system by using at least 150 IP addresses per minute to clog the registration.
Asked if the hacking and the attempt to sow chaos at Manila’s vaccination sites may be connected to his political plans for the 2022 national elections, Domagoso said: “I say it might just be a coincidence.”
For its part, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 said Friday it would investigate the alleged move to “sabotage” the vaccination drive this week.
Photos on social media on Thursday showed people jostling each other to be the first in line at vaccination centers, prompting police intervention to enforce social distancing rules.
Some individuals deliberately spread wrong information that people would not get cash aid from the government during the 2-week lockdown of Metro Manila if they are not vaccinated, said NTF deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon.
“We received unverified reports that need to be investigated, which said bad elements sabotaged vaccination sites, especially those located at malls in Las Piñas, Antipolo, Manila, and other areas,” Dizon said.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila mayors have agreed to impose a no walk-in policy at COVID-19 vaccination sites while the region is under a two-week lockdown to prevent the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, a government official said Friday.
At the Laging Handa briefing, Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the latest policy was agreed upon by the mayors and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
Malaya said only those with confirmed appointments would be accommodated at the vaccination centers.
MMDA Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. and other Metropolitan Manila Development Authority officials inspected Friday the flow of inoculation rollout in several COVID-19 vaccination hubs in the cities of Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Parañaque.
Top MMDA officials made the visit after videos and photos went viral on social media showing thousands of people lined up in various vaccination sites in the metropolis, violating health protocols and the curfew policy.
The incidents came after the people got information that those who have not been vaccinated shall not be entitled to cash assistance or “ayuda” and/or benefits.
Abalos said the queues of people at SM Southmall Las Piñas, Ayala Malls Southmall in Muntinlupa and SM City BF Parañaque were systematic.
“Our overall assessment on the vaccination process on the said areas is very orderly and very efficient. We have our target to protect Filipinos from the deadly coronavirus disease through inoculation. In fact, the 17 local government units in Metro Manila are expected to administer 250,000 jabs daily during the two-week enhanced community quarantine period,” Abalos said.
He also appealed to the public to stop believing in fake news and misinformation.
In related developments, a party-list member of the House of Representatives advised local governments to streamline the jab procedures to prevent overcrowding as walk-in vaccinees are trooping to inoculation sites.
ACT-CIS Rep. Rowena Niña Taduran observed that people take chances at vaccination sites in the absence of an appointment with the hope of getting accommodated.
Many people troop to vaccination sites despite lack of appointment due to the incentives offered by the government and commercial establishments to vaccinees.
“The local governments are the generators of super spreaders because of the wrong vaccination procedure. They have observed crowds of people at vaccination sites, and yet they do nothing about it. Crowding could be avoided if the vaccination process is streamlined,” Taduran said.
“If the queuer does not have an appointment, why don’t they be given forms to determine who can be accommodated so that those who could not be vaccinated could be sent home?” added Taduran.