Parañaque to distribute free vaccines to 300,000 residents 

Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said 300,000 city residents will get free coronavirus vaccines as the city government allotted P250 million for its vaccination program, according to a report by Manila Bulletin.

Olivarez said the  city government will directly negotiate with the pharmaceutical company approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when the vaccine becomes available.

“Our funds are ready in case a vaccine for the dreaded disease is already in the country anytime soon,” Olivarez said.

The city government reportedly had already met with representatives of Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., the first company who conducted clinical trial against the dreaded disease in Belgium.  Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. which is owned by US firm Johnson and Johnson holds office on Edison Avenue, Barangay Merville, Paranaque City and is among three firms with application for clinical trials in the Philippines   

The mayor said health workers, essential service workers, security and traffic personnel, particularly the 59,000 senior citizens in the city’s 16 barangays will be prioritized in the city government’s vaccination program.

“We are targeting half of the city’s present population to be vaccinated as soon we are able to purchase doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021,” Olivarez said

Aside from the P250-million vaccine fund allotted by the city, City Treasurer Anthony Pulmano said they are planning to borrow P1-billion as stand-by budget from the Land Bank of the Philippines.  

“If the need arises, we are planning to loan P1 billion additional fund from Landbank for the vaccination program of the city government which at the same time help the national government in shouldering the budget for vaccination of majority of Filipinos,” Pulmano said.

For the past five years, the city government did incur any debt from any financial institutions, Pulmano added.

The vaccines reportedly cost $25 per person.