Eleazar pushes for cash-for-vax

Senatorial aspirant Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar urged the national government to consider implementing a cash-for-vaccination program to encourage more people to get their jabs especially in the provinces where health experts have been recording a high infection rate of COVID-19.

The cash-for-work program was implemented several times in the past in areas struck with natural calamities as a form of assistance for the residents to recover from the adverse impact of disasters.

Eleazar believes that the cash-for-vaccination program will encourage more unvaccinated individuals to get their jabs especially since some of them find COVID vaccination as a waste of time due to long queues and that they have to travel to vaccination sites.

“Mas maganda na i-consider ng ating pamahalaan na subukan ang cash for vaccination program upang mahikayat ang mas marami nating mga kababayan na magpabakuna sa gitna ng patuloy na banta ng COVID (The government should try a cash for vaccination program to entice more Filipinos to get vaccinated as COVID-19 rages on),” said Eleazar.

He cited the program initiated by the Quezon City government which provided P2,000 for ambulant vendors in exchange for vaccination in a move to further improve the vaccination rate in the City.

Aside from a massive information drive, Eleazar believes providing incentives to those who would be vaccinated is a good way of improving the vaccination rate in the country.

Earlier, the World Health Organization said the Philippines has very slow progress in vaccinating its citizens and stated that this was the reason behind the upsurge of cases since last month.

Eleazar said the concept of a reward system, such as initiating a raffle draws of livelihood items, is also a good idea especially in the provinces where vaccine hesitancy is still high based on the government data.

He said incentives play a major part to increase the number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19.