The city government of Makati will prioritize the provision of free Covid-19 vaccines to its residents, Mayor Abigail Binay said on Monday.

“We are aiming for 100 percent vaccination in Makati,” Binay said in a social media post.

The city government, she said will allocate a PHP1-billion budget for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.

Binay said the city government is currently coordinating with the country’s vaccine czar, Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., alongside the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), to finalize the details of the vaccine procurement and inoculation program.

“This is our number one priority for 2021. I want each and every Makatizen to receive both doses of the coronavirus vaccine for free to protect them and their families against the virus,” Binay said. “We’ve seen the damage it can do both to human lives and our economy. After everything we’ve lost this year, we will do whatever it takes to protect our residents, employees, and our business community.”

Binay said she will immediately ask the city council to pass a supplemental budget for the vaccination program, once the IATF gives its green light to procure the Covid-19 vaccines.

Covid-19 vaccination in Navotas

Meanwhile, Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco on Monday said the local government will allocate an initial amount of PHP20 million for the city-wide Covid-19 vaccination program.

“Pwede naman magdagdag eh, pwede ka naman mag-supplemental budget so initial amount lang ‘yan (It could increase. You can add a supplemental budget so this is an initial amount only),” Tiangco said during his interview with Alex Santos of Radyo Pilipinas.

Tiangco said the allocated budget for the city’s inoculation program will depend on how much the national government will provide for the Navotas local government.

“For me, the most important issue is that ano ba ‘yung vaccine na bibilhin ng (what would be the vaccine brand to be procured by the) national government?,” he said.

On the other hand, Tiangco ordered all city employees and other residents to undergo swab testing for Covid-19 before they return to work after spending the holidays outside Navotas.

He said the city government is conducting mandatory swab testing for Covid-19 to all gov’t employees residing within Navotas and those who are working in city-based companies. (PNA)