Former Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday urged the government to allow the private sector to purchase more COVID-19 vaccines for their employees, so it can help meet its goal of vaccinating 70 million to achieve herd immunity this year.
“The President (Duterte) deserves to be commended. It is only right to vaccinate the economic frontliners immediately so that our economy can recover. But the Department of Health admits we don’t have enough vaccines. We need 24 million additional doses and at the moment we do not have enough,” said Binay.
“This is frustrating news for businessmen and workers. But there is a solution: Let’s tap the private sector. Allow them to buy more vaccines for their employees. Let them vaccinate their people for free,” he added.
Binay said the government can also consider giving businessmen tax breaks if they achieve the 100 percent workforce immunization. He added workers could be allowed to go on paid leaves to get vaccinated.
The former vice president said an information campaign is also needed to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
“Government should also find ways to incentivize vaccination. It should look at all available means to achieve one goal: vaccinate as many workers as possible in the fastest way,” he said.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said the government is targeting inoculating 120,000 people per day in Metro Manila beginning next month.
He also said: “Right in the beginning, the private sector is accompanying us in our vaccination efforts and helping the government to inoculate the people.”
On Thursday, another shipment of Sinovac vaccines arrived in Manila, bringing to 8,279,050 the total number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines received by the Philippines.
