A DOH Nurse deployed at City Health Office administers the COVID-19 vaccine to Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, after the screening and assessment by acting City Health Officer Dr. Gloria Fabrigas. PHOTO FROM ROMUALDEZ鈥� FACEBOOK
MANILA, Phillippines 鈥� Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and four other local chiefs were issued show-cause orders by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the prioritized sector.
LOOK: DILG Usec. Epimaco Densing shares the list of five mayors who will be given show cause orders for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 despite not being healthcare workers. | @khallareINQ
鈥� Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet)
In a text message to 黑料社 on Wednesday, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III shared a list of the mayors who will be given show-cause orders.
The four other mayors include T鈥檅oli, South Cotabato Mayor Dibu Tuan, Sto Ni帽o, South Cotabato Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos, Legazpi City, Albay Mayor Noel Rasa and Bataraza, Palawan Mayor Abraham Ibba.
鈥榃illing to face consequences鈥�
Romualdez said he is ready to face the DILG following his decision to have himself inoculated ahead of the city鈥檚 front-liners.
鈥淚f I have violated any guidelines, I am willing to face the consequences,鈥� said Romualdez, 58.
鈥淚 am only for the protection of our people. I have said it before that I am willing to be vaccinated first just to encourage our people to have themselves vaccinated,鈥� he added.
Romualdez received his dose of the COVID-19 from China鈥檚 Sinovac Biotech on Monday.
The mayor said he had himself vaccinated to remove the fears of the people, including the health workers since only 50 percent of them were willing to have themselves vaccinated.
He said he didn鈥檛 even hide his vaccination from the public to boost the acceptability of the vaccine.
Romaualdez cited the case of City Health Officer Gloria Fabrigas who earlier didn鈥檛 want to be vaccinated for 鈥渉ealth reasons.鈥�
But after witnessing the mayor鈥檚 inoculation, she changed her mind and had herself vaccinated.
City administrator Aldrin Quebec said the vaccine used on the mayor was just an 鈥渆xcess鈥� of the vaccines administered to health workers in the city.
Romualdez also dispelled allegations that he was given special treatment since he was inoculated ahead of some health workers in the city.
鈥淲hat VIP treatment? Sinovac? VIP treatment?鈥� he said, reiterating that he would like only to serve as an example for the people and encourage them to be vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Densing said that it was also verifying the case of Minglanilla, 听With reports from Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas