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MANILA – Malacañang on Monday urged officials of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) board not to block the construction of a “mega vaccination site” in Parañaque City to be built for the government by tycoon Enrique Razon's International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Foundation.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this appeal after Razon said he was at a "loss for words to describe" the NPF board for opposing the project.
Roque reminded the NPF that it is a government-owned and –controlled corporation (GOCC) that is still under the supervision of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Ang panawagan po natin sa board ng Nayong Pilipino, lahat po ng GOCC ay nasa ilalim pa rin ng supervision ng ating Presidente. At sana naman ang mga desisyon nila ay huwag kukontra doon sa napakahalagang misyong na pangalagaan ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan (Our call to the Board of Nayong Pilipino, all GOCCs are under the supervision of the President and we hope all their decisions do not go against the very important mission of protecting the lives of our citizens),” he said in a press briefing from Davao City.
He pointed out that the construction of a mega vaccination facility is part of Duterte’s “police power” as President.
“Iyong pagtatayo po ng mega vaccination facility diyan sa Nayong Pilipino, iyan po ay pursuant to inherent police powers ng ating Presidente, at iyan naman po ay para itaguyod ang karapatan ng kalusugan ng lahat, (Putting up a mega vaccination facility there in Nayong Pilipino is pursuant to the police powers of the President and this is to promote everyone’s safety),” he added.
Meanwhile, Roque said he has no information if Duterte has accepted the resignation of Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto as executive director of the NPF.
National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementor and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., in a separate statement, called on the NPF to sign the agreement to construct the mega vaccination facility on its property.
He stressed the urgency in establishing a mega vaccination center as it “will help accelerate” the implementation of the government’s vaccination campaign.
Last month, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) authorized the NTF to enter into an agreement with the NPF for the construction of the mega vaccination site.
The construction of the mega vaccination facility has yet to commence as the NPF board of trustees has yet to sign a memorandum of agreement with the NTF.
Last May 6, the NPF said it opposed the construction of a mega vaccination site, insisting that its property is a “thriving urban forest that hosts a variety of urban wildlife and is the last remaining grassland in the reclaimed area of Parañaque.” (PNA)
