



The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has appealed for the inclusion of more areas in the priority recipients of COVID vaccines following the recent surge of infections in other high-risk cities.
In a letter addressed to National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., LCP national president and Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia and LCP secretary-general and Calapan City Mayor Arnan Panaligan expressed alarm over reports of surges in "Batangas, Pampanga, Region 2, and some areas in the Cordillera Administrative Region."
Reports have also noted a sharp increase in MIMAROPA and Western Visayas cases, including Calapan City, Bacolod City, and Iloilo City, with the latter being placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on May 23, 2021.
Both mayors urged for the distribution of new vaccine shipments in these places outside the priority areas of NCR Plus, Cebu, and Davao.
"We deem that the preemptive action of distributing vaccines to a broader number of cities will prevent a potential new wave of case surges throughout the Philippines," Leonardia and Panaligan said in the letter.
The LCP officials also acknowledged the national government's task of considering the "delicate balance" between distributing vaccines to current hotspots and allocating to emerging hotspots that may become critical areas.
"We will bank on the expertise of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases), NTF, and NITAG (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group) to make evidence-based decisions in identifying the priority areas in addition to the initial list," they said.
The LCP recently lauded the IATF for reclassifying local chief executives as part of the priority A1 group in the national vaccination program.
In the same letter, Leonardia and Panaligan assured Galvez that city mayors would reciprocate the trust and confidence of the national government with more "proactive and efficient programs" in their respective localities.
Granting Authority to make Advance Payments for the Procurement of COVID-19 Vaccines
The Advocate
City Mayors to meet Vaccine Czar, FDA Director
Philippine Cities Local Issuance on COVID-19
COVID-19 at PH Cities
One Planet City Challenge 2019 - 2020
PASUNDAYAG: Central and Southern Luzon Regional Innovation Fair
SCURP: ABC in URP
APO International Conference on Public Sector Productivity
Self-learning training course on Disaster Risk Management for urban planning practitioners
Earth Hour 2018 Switch-Off Event
Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation and WRI Ross Prize for Cities
World Bank's Philippine Urbanization Review Now Available for Download
Confucius Institute Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebration
BI Bares New Travel Rules for LGU Execs, Employees
Commit to addressing mobility and health with City for Clean Air Certification
Training Program on Project Development and Management (PDM)
International Master in Anti-Corruption Compliance and Collective Action (IMACC)
World Day to Combat Desertification
International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines Food Export and Investment Seminars
Global Peace Volunteers Camp (Teen Edition)
ASEAN Creative Cities Forum and Exhibition
Australia Awards Scholarship
Conference on Sustainable Land Governance
Rediscover Filipino-Chinese Arts, Culture and heritage
UN Habitat III Opening Session
3rd International River Summit
Alberto C. Agra
FEATURE CITY

