The municipality of Naval, Biliran has set aside PHP20-million fund to buy coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines.

The amount will augment the budget of the national government and the provincial government, Mayor Gerard Roger Espina said in a post on his Facebook account on Thursday.

Espina said the fund will come from the local government’s annual development fund.

“I would like to inform everyone that on the top of the PHP100 million provincial budget for Covid-19 vaccine, and the national government’s budget, we in Naval have secured an initial amount of PHP20 million,” Espina added.

The vaccines funded by the local government are for residents not covered by vaccination of the national and provincial governments.

Espina added that he will be meeting with other officials of the town next week to discuss the pre-registration for those who wish to get the free vaccines.

The pre-registration aims to ensure a smooth flow of the vaccination process when it is ready and available.

Naval is the first town in Eastern Visayas that announced allocating funds for procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

Before Naval, some provinces and cities in the region have already announced their fund allocation for the vaccines: Leyte province (PHP20 million), Samar province (PHP25 million), Eastern Samar (PHP500 million), Northern Samar (PHP10 million), Tacloban City (PHP30 million), Ormoc City (PHP200 million), Borongan City (PHP35 million), and Catbalogan City (PHP30 million), and Maasin City (PHP15 million).

Naval, a 2nd class town with a population of 54,692 in 26 villages, is the capital of Biliran, one of the smallest provinces in the country. (PNA)