The Bacolod City government executives called health frontliners and Bacolodnons, who already got their anti-COVID jabs, as “modern-day heroes” in the face of the pandemic, at the joint launching on Monday, August 30, of the 24/7 vaccination center and the third mobile vaccination unit or, the VAX-i, at the Jollibee branch along Gatuslao-Burgos Streets.
The twin event, which coincided with the National Heroes’ Day celebration, was led by the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) represented by Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy medical; Dr. Edwin Miraflor, Jr., officer-in-charge of the City Health Office; and EOC Secretariat head and Executive Assistant Teresa Manalili.
The EOC-TF, chaired by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, spearheaded the city government’s drive against COVID-19, with City Administrator Em Ang serving as the task force’s executive director and concurrent coordinator of the COVID Vaccination Council (CoVaC).
Also at the launch were Councilors Carl Lopez and Bartolome Orola, Sr., who commended the strong public-private partnership in the campaign against the pandemic as shown by the support of the Ponce Group of Companies, franchise holder of Jollibee, represented by Marigold Ponce, and the Merzci Pasalubong of businessman Jonathan Lo.
Representing Merzci, which owns the third VAX-i bus, was the company’s public relations and marketing head, Femmy Lee Magbanua.
Sorongon and Miraflor thanked the business sector for the partnership it forged with the city government as it brings about positive results in the midst of challenges the city encounters in addressing COVID infections.
The EOC’s medical team and the CHO introduced innovative and aggressive strategies to the vaccination campaign in the LGU’s bid to hasten efforts to achieve herd immunity, eventually paving the way for the VAX-i, the drive-thru, the “Bigjab Weekend” at two major malls, mall-based inoculation, on-site campaign at BPO firms, among others.
Lopez encouraged everyone to support the city’s goal and get vaccinated.
The 24/7 public vaccination drive at Jollibee, which starts at 8:00 p.m., kicked off starting Tuesday.
Sorongon said that the city had been fighting COVID-19 in the past one year-and-a-half.
“Not only do we have our frontliners as our modern-day heroes but also our early vaccinees who got inoculated (ahead of the others) to achieve the city’s goal of herd immunity,” the EOC executive said.
Miraflor also cited the pioneer vaccinees because they did not only think of their own welfare but also the safety of their families./WDJ