Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) — Health officials on Monday refuted allegations that Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, received the lion’s share of the country’s Pfizer vaccine allocation.
Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama, who heads the Field Implementation and Coordination Team in Visayas and Mindanao, said he is unaware of the basis for complaints since Davao City and Cebu City both received 210,000 Pfizer shots from COVAX’s recent delivery of 2.27 million doses.
“Nabigyan lang ito ng ganun kalaking — kung sa palagay niyo ay malaki — ay dahil sa tayo ay may capability, may ultralow temperature freezers dito… Wala pong favoritism dito,” he said in a media briefing.
[Translation: They were given that allocation because they have the capability to store it in their ultralow temperature freezers. There is no favoritism here.]
He added the vaccines sent to Davao City will be used throughout the region, not just for the residents of Davao City.
Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed that the vaccines allocated to Davao City can be used by residents in nearby provinces, saying there is a “no wrong door” policy, which means even nonresidents can get vaccinated in a certain area. However, she did not expound on how they can register for an appointment.
The Philippines on Sunday finalized an agreement to receive 40 million doses of Pfizer doses, with delivery starting in August. Vergeire said they are working with BARMM, Caraga, Mimaropa, Soccsksargen, and Bicol Region to ensure they have storage requirements so they can receive an allocation soon.
“We are ensuring na maging prepared lahat ng regions, walang paborito, base lang sa pangangailangan, base sa prioritization framework… Rest assured they will be equitably allocated,” she said in the same briefing.
[Translation: We are ensuring that all regions will be prepared. There will be no favoritism. It will be based on their needs and the prioritization framework.]
