MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President and the Quezon City government formally launched another Vaccine Express drive-through site, this time to cater to jeepney and tricycle drivers and operators, as well as to delivery riders in Quezon City.
"Our drivers are very much exposed. They are exposed to their customers, the restaurants where they buy the food, and their everyday struggle to earn a living. We are happy that they are given the opportunity like this," Robredo told reporters in Filipino at the sidelines of the launch Thursday.
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The first run of Vaccine Express-Quezon City will be open until Friday, August 13, at the Robinsons Novaliches Open Parking.
"Tricycle and jeepney drivers and the delivery riders have to get vaccinated because they ferry our workers to work and deliver their food and essentials especially during this ECQ. It protects them, passengers and customers, and their families from infection," Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
Robredo posted the following reminders for interested beneficiaries to take note of before proceeding to the site:
- No walk-ins will be accepted so make sure you have registered with your JODA/TODA or delivery riders ’group.
- For jeepney and tricycle drivers, bring your driver’s license and JODA/TODA ID.
- For delivery riders, bring your driver’s license and certificate of employment/membership.
- Wait for the notification from the QC LGU about the time and day of your vaccination before going to the vaccination site.
- Bring a raincoat/umbrella for protection in case it rains.
All vaccinees must pre-register under the LGU’s system. Aside from the first dose of the vaccine provided by the LGU, each will receive a post-vaccination care kit, a P500 gift check for groceries, and various items courtesy of OVP’s Angat Buhay partners.
Previous efforts
This is not the first time Robredo's office established such a project, as it also put together a vaccine express in Manila City to inoculate tricycle, pedicab, and delivery riders.
At the time, she said she was open and willing to partner with other local chief executives in bringing the project to their cities.
An offshoot of the project eventually materialized in the form of the NagaVax Express Project, which saw 6,715 additional residents in Naga City now fully vaccinated in just two days.
"There are many well-performing LGUs as far as vaccination is concerned. So that's really what we need, the secret is to really look for creative means to tackle vaccination," Robredo said earlier as she underscored the need for more creative ways to convince Filipinos to get vaccinated.
QC gov't against possible extension
Asked about the possibility of an extension to the Enhanced Community Quarantine, Belmonte said that the city government would just comply with whatever the coronavirus task force decides.
"If we are asked for a recommendation here in Quezon City, I will probably recommend number one, not now," she said in mixed Filipino and English.
"Let’s wait for the latter part of the ECQ because we locked down earlier today compared to the first ECQ this year where the number is already high and then we just locked down. Now, we were already in lockdown by the time the numbers went up."
Earlier Thursday, Belmonte issued a city memorandum stating that ayuda distribution and vaccination activities, among others, are "the only allowed community service events" in the city.
The city government added that donation drives and other humanitarian efforts—like community pantries—"should be done in a strictly door-to-door manner."
As it currently stands, 67.43% of the 1.7 million target population in Quezon City have received their first dose.
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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com.