The city government of Pasig has allotted funds amounting to at least PHP300 million in preparation for the city-wide Covid-19 vaccination program, Mayor Vico Sotto said on Monday.

“Ito po yung nakalaan na pero madali naman po kaya nating dagdagan ito kung may available na na supplies at may mabibili pa po ang lokal na pamahalaan (This is the allocated budget but it would be easy to provide additional funds once the supplies are already available so the local government could procure more),” Sotto said during a Laging Handa press briefing.

He said the city government is coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) as well as the Metro Manila Council to prepare the needed logistics for the Covid-19 inoculation program.

Sotto said the city government will prioritize medical and healthcare front-liners to further provide better services to Covid-19 patients.

“Pangalawa po yung (second will be the) senior citizens tapos (and then) we will go from there,” he said.

He then lauded Pasig residents for being cooperative with the city government during the holiday season.

Sotto urged residents to continue adhering to the minimum health standards, particularly wearing face masks and physical distancing, to further halt the spread of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Sotto reminded the public to be cautious against fake news and misleading information on social media.

He made this warning after a photo supposedly quoting him on who to vote for in the next elections made rounds online.

Pasig City BOSS

The city government, meanwhile, opened its second business one-stop-shop (BOSS) at the Ayala Malls The 30th in Barangay Ugong.

Sotto said 30 percent of the businesses in Pasig are situated only in its two barangays, where Ortigas Business Center is situated.

He said the inauguration of the Pasig City BOSS will help in maintaining the city’s health protocols to combat Covid-19.

Early taxpayers could avail of discounts, he said.

The city government is also studying to extend the tax amnesties to aid businesses to recover amid the pandemic, he added.

He cited the need to support the local economy during these trying times.

“We will do everything that we can to make things easier, to make things more convenient for our businesses in Pasig City,” Sotto said.

Sotto said the city government has been working hard to streamline processes for the issuance of licenses and permits to the local businesses.

The newly added Pasig City BOSS, he said, could also increase the ease of doing business and fight against the bureaucratic red-tape within the city government.

He added it could hasten transactions made with the local government.

Sotto said the city government is making a lot of efforts to make Pasig become business-friendly.

While the city government’s efforts may not be perfect at the moment, Sotto is optimistic that “this year’s program will be better than the previous year.”

Pasig City targets to shorten business registration into two days through the one-stop shop, so that businessmen will no longer have to visit the city hall 20 times just to process their documents.

“We really try to cut red-tape, this is a long journey. This is a difficult process, but now we are confident that once you submitted complete documents, you can process them all at once. If you lack some documents for the first time you transact, by the next you come back it would be okay,” he said.

The BOSS program targets to simplify procedures for the issuance of local business licenses, clearances, permits, certifications, or authorizations.

It will also reduce the processing time to acquire the said issued documents. (PNA)