The Philippine government, through the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), vowed to increase engagement with the public and boost trust in vaccines, as the national vaccination program looms in the country.

In a Laging Handa briefing Wednesday, PIA Director-General Ramon Cualoping III said the agency would launch an information drive together with the Department of Health and several government agencies to further raise awareness on the benefits of inoculation against Covid-19.

This initiative will include a series of town hall meetings, regional summits, local summits, and dialogue with healthcare workers, the private sector, and local government units.

“Our objective is to continue and improve the public uptake, the acceptance level of the public to the vaccine regardless of brands,” he said.

The University of the Philippines-OCTA Research Group earlier said only one in four or 25 percent of Metro Manila residents is willing to get vaccinated against coronavirus disease. The remaining 75 percent are either hesitant or unwilling.

To date, the national government targets to inoculate 50 million to 70 million Filipinos within the year.

National Task Force on Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government is negotiating with about 11 entities to secure enough doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the Philippines.

Among these manufacturers and alliances are AstraZeneca, Novavax, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Russia’s Gamaleya National Center, Moderna, Sinopharm, CanSino Biologics, Bharat Biotech, and the COVAX alliance with the World Health Organization. (PNA)