by Jermaine Ocampo

DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing released to CNN the show cause order to five mayors who jumped the COVID-19 Vaccination queue, even if inoculation is still ongoing for medical frontliners only. 

The list of mayors who jumped the vaccination queue are:

– Mayor Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban City, Leyte (vaccinated March 22)

– Mayor Dibu Tuan of T’boli, South Cotabato (vaccinated March 19)

– Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos of Sto. Niño, South Cotabato (vaccinated March 19)

– Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City, Albay (vaccinated March 16)

– Mayor Abraham Ibba of Bataraza, Palawan (vaccinated March 22)

According to Densing, public officials may face possible suspension for violating the vaccine prioritization, adding that the Office of the Ombudsman will determine the proper sanctions.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated the warning of the World Health Organization that the country may risk losing millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses if the country does not follow the prioritization requirements.

The government is still prioritizing the 1.7 Million healthcare workers in the country using the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines before distributing it to other sectors in the country. 

As of March 23 2020,  508,332 healthcare workers and some defiant government officials have been given either the CoronaVac or AstraZeneca vaccines.

---

Reference

https://www.facebook.com/156566631021264/posts/4255678864443333/?d=n
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/24/Show-cause-order-DILG-mayors-jumping-COVID-vaccination.html?fbclid=IwAR0CsAvVbzrsgP8Is4Br38Y8-WVJXH4tBSC0BuB9tlbqIoI0dz-RaHYyPXM