Shopping mall owners and operators in Taguig City have agreed to assist the local government in its vaccination program to inoculate one million residents to protect them from the coronavirus disease.
Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano on Monday announced the city’s partnership with Vista Mall, Megaworld, SM, and Ayala and thanked the business sector’s participation in boosting the local government’s vaccine rollout.
The city government made its mall giants agree to house and establish vaccination centers within their premises.
The development comes as the city continues its COVID-19 vaccination drive that has seen thousands of medical workers, senior citizens and people with comorbidities, among others, already vaccinated.
“I take it as a sign of trust in the local government that our big stakeholders have all reached out to help with our community vaccination,” Cayetano said.
Taguig City has the lowest COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in Metro Manila, and this was attributed to the local government’s strong partnerships with its citizens and business community.
Aside from having the largest network of barangay health workers, the city also boasts 10,000 designated COVID-19 safety officers who assist in the city’s extensive disease surveillance and in establishing strict health and safety protocols.
Taguig also prides itself in its 34 testing centers and network of disease surveillance officers from the private and public sector.
“Vaccination will be key to moving faster towards the new future,” said Cayetano, adding that Taguig wants to lead that transition with a whole of society approach.
“Relying on the strengths of various individuals and institutions, we believe we can make 2021 the year we bounce back and recover,” he said.
The city government also opened seven vaccination sites apart from the additional mall vaccination sites and launched a new vaccination bus as part of its plan to vaccinate its population.
It also said it had ordered a diverse portfolio of vaccines to complement the national government supply to ensure citizens get vaccinated free of charge.