Josefina town's local officials laud ‘Project Haven Initiative'

 By Gideon C. Corgue

JOSEFINA, Zamboanga del Sur, Nov. 15 (PIA) - The Project Haven Community Development (PHCD) initiated by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 will help local government units (LGUs) expedite the vaccination roll out before the end of December this year.

Mayor Catalino Adapon said in the RPHAT’s assessment and recommendation of the LGU’s COVID-19 response efforts, he strongly believes they can intensify the vaccination rollout so that people in the barangays having negative perception of the vaccines will be fully vaccinated.

He reported that of the 12,000 target eligible population, only 2,000 residents have been vaccinated and the remaining 6,000 people will be vaccinated before December 31, the deadline set by President Rodrigo Duterte in his directive.

He also announced they will continue and further strengthen their mobile vaccination in 14 barangays that have been suspended due to security threat, and their initiative called “no vaccine, later to receive social pension” policy for senior citizens and conduct dialogue with local partners.

The mayor added they still have a huge margin to cope in the vaccination rollout considering 45% of the remaining populace in the area needs to be vaccinated to achieve 70% herd immunity.

Moreover, he explained vaccine hesitancy among people living in the hinterlands are added to the reason why their vaccination rate is slow.

“Their refusal to get vaccinated was due to the spread of fake news that poisoned their minds. They are afraid of dying or becoming zombies if they get vaccinated,” he said.

The RPHAT shared best practices in other municipalities that can be emulated by the LGU especially providing small cash assistance and food supplies to people who have completed vaccination to encourage others who have not yet been vaccinated.

In line with this development, local officials and RHU personnel unanimously agreed they will begin implementing their strategies on the COVID-9 vaccination roll out on November 18 to December 2 to achieve 70% herd immunity. The RIATF has identified five LGUs in the province with low vaccination rates as per data from the Department of Health (DOH)-9 such as Dimataling, Dumalinao, Josefina, Mahayag and San Pablo.

The RPHAT, which comprises the regional line agencies include the Office of Civil Defense (COD), Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Information Agency (PIA) provided technical assistance and catch up plan from November 11 to 23 to LGUs in the Zamboanga Peninsula with low vaccination rates rollout. (RVC/EDT/GCC/PIA-Zamboanga del Sur)