Six local government units (LGUs) from Iloilo and Aklan provinces are recipients of tablets with keyboards from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to augment the reporting of their coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination status.

“Your DICT in partnership with the UNDP will be providing tablets with keyboards to all LGUs in the region as we aim to address the timely submission of the line list and updating of records, and to assist them fully maximize the benefits and functions of our Vaccine Information Management System,” said Engr. Joel B. Garcera, regional focal person for the DICT Data Resiliency for Ease of Access and Management (DREAM) Team, during the ceremonial turnover ceremony on Wednesday held in Passi City in Iloilo.

In a follow up interview, he said that most probably they would have to officially launch the VaxCertPh in the region as they will be providing at least two tablets per LGU in Western Visayas to help them fast-track their encoding of data.

Among the six recipients were the municipalities of Lambunao, Calinog, San Enrique, Pototan and Passi City in Iloilo province and Ibajay in Aklan.

He added that while they hoped to release the tablets this June as part of the celebration of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Month, they are taking into account the documentation restrictions because of the transition to the new administration in some LGUs.

“Most probably, we will be waiting for the new LGU administration for those that have new ones,” Garcera said.

Nonetheless, he said that encoding of the vaccination status is already in place in LGUs.

LGUs have been provided with the data base where all they have to do is to encode their vaccination data and number of vaccinated individuals that is sent directly to the DICT national office. (PNA)