Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno stressed that he ‘cannot over-emphasized enough’ the importance of validation in ensuring an equitable vaccination for the city’s priority target recipients.

The City Hall is currently conducting validation over the priority list, those who will first receive the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination.

“Di nato malikayan naa gud na mo-attempt na mamentahan so kita sa city government should be prepared to discern kung naay ba dili fair (ang distribution of vaccines) (We cannot avoid the possibility of people trying to exploit the situation so we at the city government should be prepared to discern if there are instances of unfair distribution of vaccines),” Moreno said during Tuesday’s (February 9) press briefing.

“We are also aware of the risk na daghan outside Cagayan de Oro nga moapil (there are those outside of Cagayan de Oro that would join) because we understand that people want to get vaccinated.” he added.

As mandated by the Department of Health (DOH), the vaccine prioritization list of target recipients should include:

• Health care workers and medical frontliners;
• Senior citizens;
• Indigent Filipinos; and
• Uniformed personnel.

Moreno said while he understands and wants to provide vaccines to anyone who may ask, the city’s limited resources prevent City Hall from doing so. 

“There’s a limit. What’s s important is there’s an equitable distribution of vaccines in Cagayan de Oro. City Hall will control the distribution of vaccines which is why I cannot over-emphasize enough about the importance of validating the target vaccine recipients,” Moreno explained.

“We will try to cover as many as we can but of course we should be aware of our limitations. It’s not right that we end the vaccination program but there are still those lining up who may be more deserving than those who were vaccinated earlier. Lisod kanang situation (That’s an unjustifiable situation).”

(Source: City Information Office)

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