Top brands, private healthcare providers, and malls have collaborated with the government to launch the Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat campaign to promote the vaccination of more Filipinos against the.
“With Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat, we want to encourage vaccine willingness and support mass vaccinations, which are crucial for a safe economic recovery and return to normalcy,” Margot Torres, Managing Director for McDonald’s Philippines and Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat communications advocacy co-lead said during the online launch of the campaign on Friday.
“This Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat campaign is the result of the collaboration of many private sector companies who generously contributed funds and their expertise, talent, and time to support our country’s national vaccination program,” Ms. Torres added.
Companies who are supporting the campaign include Banco de Oro, Cebu Pacific, Food Panda, Globe Telecom, Goldilocks, ICTSI, Jollibee Foods Corp., McDonald’s Philippines, Megaworld, Philippine Seven (7-11) Corp., Smart Communications, SM Supermalls, Unilab, Zuellig Pharma, and the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (RestoPH).
Medical experts from the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases also helped ensure that the campaign’s content is factual and science based.
Private healthcare providers Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), Metro Pacific Hospitals Holdings, Inc. (MPPHI), Mount Grace Hospitals Inc., St. Luke’s Medical Center, and The Medical City will also help administer the vaccines and open their hospital’s available capacity to the national government and local government units in the National Capital Region Plus area — which includes Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal — and in Batangas and Pampanga.
The said hospitals will coordinate with the Department of Health and local government units (LGUs) to administer a total of 150,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to priority sector recipients such as health workers, senior citizens, and persons with co-morbidities.
Private healthcare providers will also shoulder the cost of administration, venues, and manpower, while the government will provide the vaccines, medical supplies, and personal protective equipment.
To further support LGUs, Megaworld has committed 11 of its malls and SM Supermalls has allotted 37 of its malls as additional vaccination venues for the administration of vaccines, providing a total of 48 additional vaccination sites.
Former Philippine health secretary Manuel M. Dayrit said, “(t)he commitment of the private hospitals and malls will help augment the vaccination administration of the LGUs for their constituents.”
He added that Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat campaign will help the government achieve its goal of vaccinating 70 million Filipinos this year in order to achieve herd immunity, or the point when a large portion of Filipinos are already immune to COVID-19, thereby mitigating the spread of the virus. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago