The city and province of Iloilo each signed the multilateral agreement for the advance purchase of AstraZeneca AZD 1222 vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“After a year since this pandemic started, this is a sign of hope that we are closer to our lives before Covid-19,” Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said in his Facebook page after signing the agreement on Sunday.

Iloilo City allotted PHP200 million for the purchase of the vaccines as it hoped to vaccinate 100 percent of its population.

In the signed agreement, the city government has ordered 600,000 doses of the vaccines amounting to USD3 million.

Meanwhile, the provincial government represented by Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. also signed a multilateral agreement for the advance purchase of 270,000 doses of the vaccines from the said pharmaceutical firm worth USD1,350,000.

The provincial government has allotted an initial PHP95 million for the purchase.

In an interview over Bombo Radyo Iloilo on Monday, Defensor said he will be meeting next with mayors of the province’s 42 municipalities and one component city for a briefing about the Covid-19 vaccination plan that was presented by the Department of Health (DOH) last week.

“We will start drafting the executive order for the details of the vaccination plan for the implementation of the province. We will put specific details for the implementation of the vaccination plan with the guidance of the DOH and the national government,” he said.

The province, he added, will continue to strategize to look for more sources of the vaccine.

Defensor said once available, the vaccines will be provided to front-liners.

The agreement was also signed by AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (Phil) Inc. country president Lotis Ramin, National Task Force chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., and Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. (PNA)