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Nancy Binay: Makati’s 'technologically-heavy' vaccine program needs to reach out to low-income citizens
By HANA BORDEY, GMA News Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday said the vaccination program of Makati City, led by her sister Mayor Abigail Binay, is “technologically-heavy” as she emphasized the need to reach out to citizens belonging to the lower class who can’t register online.
“I think it is okay, ang concern ko lang is medyo high-tech the way she is doing it…Masyado siyang technologically-heavy (My concern here is their program requires high technology. It is technologically-heavy),” Binay said in an ANC interview.
As Makati City government imposes a no walk-in policy, Binay pointed out that some citizens in the city have no access to smartphones or laptops for their online registration.
“Can you just imagine ‘yung mga ordinaryong nagtitinda ng buko or nagtitinda ng fishball paano sila magpapa-register e wala nga silang [gamit]. I’m sure they don’t even know how to use that and register,” she said.
(Can you just imagine how coconut juice or fishball vendors will register when they don't have gadgets ? I'm sure they don't even know how to use smartphones and register.)
To address this, Binay said the Makati local government can reconsider its policy on walk-in vaccination or add more roving registration sites.
“Set up more booths in barangays where they will be assisted on how to register online...Para mababa natin at maabot ang (So that we can reach the) lower class of Makati citizens,” she said.
GMA News Online has reached out to Mayor Binay's spokesperson, lawyer Michael Camina, for comment on the senator's statement.
In February, Mayor Binay said persuading lower income people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 proved to be a challenge for the local government unit.
Early this year, she announced that Makati City has secured a total of one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines for its residents and non-resident property and business owners.
The Department of Health on Monday said more than two million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
A total of 8,407,342 doses have been administered as of June 20, the DOH said. Of this number, 6,253,400 shots were for the first dose while 2,153,942 were for the second dose.
The government’s target is to inoculate 58 million people in COVID-19 hotspots by November.—AOL, GMA News
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