STREAMLINED VAX ROLLOUT. A copy of President Rodrigo Duterte's letter dated April 27, 2021 and disclosed to the media by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) on Thursday (May 6, 2021). Duterte lauded the OPAV for establishing the Visayas Covid-19 Vaccination Center that streamlines the inoculation efforts of LGUs in the region. (Photo courtesy of OPAV)
CEBU CITY – President Rodrigo R. Duterte has lauded the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) for streamlining local government efforts in the vaccination rollout through the Visayas Covid-19 Vaccination Operations Center (VVOC).
In a letter dated April 27 that was disclosed to the media on Thursday, Duterte commended the OPAV, Department of Health (DOH) 7 (Central Visayas), and private sector stakeholders that have worked together in establishing the VVOC.
The VVOC’s central hub in Mandaue City has been home to various stakeholders who are working in communities for the efficient inoculation of the populace, starting with the priority groups.
“I am certain that through the dedicated efforts of the men and women of the VVOC, we can ensure the efficient delivery, storage, and distribution of the vaccines to various local government units in the Visayas,” Duterte said.
The President also cited the creation of the VVOC Manual authored by Inter-Agency Task Force - Visayas chief implementer Melquiades Feliciano.
Feliciano, a retired military general, also pioneered the setting up of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in various local government units (LGUs) in Cebu and the Visayas.
“I am likewise confident that through the publication of the VVOC Manual, we can harmonize the steps to be taken by our Visayas LGUs so that their efforts would be aligned to our national vaccination plan,” Duterte’s letter read.
He further called for collaborative efforts “to enable us to defeat this pandemic in all localities across the country” and help the country to recover stronger in the next few months.
Since its launch in Cebu, the VVOC Manual has been cascaded to all LGUs in Central Visayas for its adoption in their vaccination plans.
The OPAV has also brought the VVOC Manual to Eastern Visayas to capacitate LGUs in the region in perking up their community vaccination programs.
Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, OPAV head, urged all LGUs in the Visayas to adopt the instructional manual to help ensure an orderly and more efficient vaccination rollout.
Dino has set a target to vaccinate all people in the Visayas by the end of 2021, as he called to come up with ways to implement the National Vaccination Plan in the regions and their localities.
The VVOC Manual was piloted in Mandaue City, the first to implement community vaccination in the Visayas, serving as a benchmark for all other localities.
“We will do our best to have this manual rolled out in the entire Visayas as we carry on with our Covid-19 vaccination program. We urge the public to do their part by having themselves vaccinated. But of course, we need to follow the approved prioritization framework with an aim of protecting our front-line defense towards a faster socio-economic recovery,” he said.
The VVOC Manual is in line with the guidance of Duterte to apply a whole-of-nation approach to the National Vaccination Plan and in support of Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s call for an efficient, equitable, and effective rollout of vaccines. (With report from Minerva Newman/PNA)
