Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar assured the indigenous peoples (IPs) that they would not be cast out amid the national government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) immunization drive.
During the Cabinet Report on “The New Normal” on Friday, Andanar said President Rodrigo Duterte has a clear policy that no one will be left behind, as the government intends to vaccinate Filipinos against Covid-19.
“Tama si Presidente, dapat walang maiiwan, dapat walang iwanan. Kasama na diyan ang ating kapwa Pilipinong palabas ng bansa upang maghanapbuhay, ang ating mga kapwa Pilipinong nasa indigenous cultural communities at ang ating mga kapwa Pilipinong nasa Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (The President is right that no one should be left behind. Filipinos who are leaving the country for work, members of the indigenous cultural communities and living in geographically-isolated and -disadvantaged areas should also be given priority),” Andanar said.
Andanar said members of IP communities, as well as those residing in geographically-isolated and -disadvantaged areas, should grab the opportunity to get inoculated with Covid-19 vaccine shots.
“Kung hindi protektado ang nakakarami sa atin, patuloy din na mananatili ang banta nito sa nakakarami (If many of us are not protected, [Covid-19] will remain a threat to us),” he said. “Kaya ang muling paalala po natin: Kapag pagkakataon na ninyo, kapag turn na ninyo magpabakuna na (That’s why our reminder is, if it’s your turn then get vaccinated).”
Dr. Angelica Cachola, medical officer of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), said some IPs were initially hesitant to receive the Covid-19 vaccine jabs.
Despite this, there are still members of the indigenous community who want to avail of the vaccine, Cachola said.
To allay the IP’s initial Covid-19 vaccine apprehension, Cachola said community service centers are ensuring the smooth delivery of basic health services to indigenous cultural community amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Doon sa service center, doon sa ating parang opisina sa baba, doon po nagtitipun-tipon para po magkaroon ng mga pagpapaliwanag regarding sa Covid at saka sa vaccination (Health workers in service centers are holding a meeting on how they could explain the threat posed by Covid-19 and the importance of vaccination),” she said.
Cachola said the NCIP is also coordinating with local government units for the possible establishment of a “halfway house” to accommodate IP members who want to get vaccinated but are far from health centers.
“Kung hindi kaya na puntahan o magawan ng mga paraan ang mga ganito, may mga ginagawa din tayo tulad ng halimbawa, may mga bahay na tutuluyan nila kapag bumababa mula sa kanilang ancestral domain (For those who are far from health centers, we are making a way to reach them by establishing a temporary house for those leaving their ancestral domain),” she said.
The Philippine government’s goal is to inoculate up to 70 million this year to achieve population protection.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday said around 10 percent of the target population for the country to achieve population protection have already been vaccinated against Covid-19.
On June 2, National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. expressed confidence that the government’s population protection target is still achievable by the end of the year.
Source: Philippines News Agency
