By CHITO CHAVEZ
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Sunday that the country’s 42,046 barangays are now finalizing the list of their COVID-19 vaccine recipients.
DILG Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño, in an interview over GMA News, said the barangays, specifically in Metro Manila, are ready with the list of the qualified recipients for the COVID-19 vaccine.
He noted that the local government units (LGUs) are only waiting for the order of the national government on the process of the vaccination.
“Kami lang ang nakakaalam niyan. Barangay lang ang may listahan kung sino ang senior citizen, sino ang mga single parents, at of course, sino man ‘yung uunahin nating beneficiary,’’ Diño said.
Diño reiterated that the vaccination will prioritize frontliners and senior citizens based on the regulations of the national government.
“Sa barangay, uunahin natin, siyempre, magmula doon sa mga barangay tanod, barangay health worker, basta lahat ng nagtatrabaho dyan,” he added.
After them, Diño noted the senior citizens will be next in line followed by those included in the directive of the city and national government.
Diño added that the “barangay governments’’ are also preparing for the other logistics concerns of the vaccination events such as the facilities and equipment that will be used.
Similar to the disbursement of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), Diño said the barangays are now preparing the areas where the vaccines will be first injected to the residents.
He noted that the DILG has also identified and prepared the areas like covered courts where the vaccination will be conducted.
“Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) can also help in the vaccination program,’’ Diño said.
Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. noted that the COVID-19 vaccination in the country may start by February with the first batch of vaccines expected to arrive during that period.
He revealed that an estimated 25,000 personnel are undergoing training to administer COVID-19 vaccines to Filipinos.
This year, authorities aim to administer COVID-19 vaccines to between 50 to 70 million Filipinos.
