Duque backs use of Nayong Pilipino as temporary COVID-19 mega vaccination site

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday expressed support to the plan to use Nayong Pilipino as a temporary COVID-19 mega vaccination site.

“I have already agreed in principle that this facility will be used temporarily as a huge vaccination center to speed up our vaccination coverage,” he said in an ANC interview.

The Health chief emphasized the need to ramp up the vaccination program of the government with a target of 500,000 jabs per day nationwide and 120,000 vaccinees per day in the National Capital Region.

“We really need big areas to ramp up our coverage, ‘di puwedeng maliliit na lugar…. I said I will support the conversion of that area into huge vaccination site,” he added.

The planned mega vaccination site at the Nayong Pilipino and other large venues will help the Philippines meet its target of 500,000 daily COVID-19 inoculations, National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 spokesperson Retired General Restituto Padilla said Tuesday. 

On Sunday, Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. called on the board of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) to approve the construction of the planned mega vaccination site.

Galvez said the NPF Board of Trustees (NPFBT) has yet to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the NTF Against COVID-19 for the construction of the mega vaccination site at the Nayong Pilipino.

The NPFBT expressed apprehension on the construction of the vaccination site given its impact on the environment as some 500 trees would have to be cut down to make space for the project.

The construction of the vaccination center will be shouldered by the Razons’ ICTSI Foundation, with Felino "Jun" Palafox as the architect.

On Tuesday, Malacañang said the planned mega COVID-19 vaccination center to be constructed will only be temporary. —KG, GMA News