STATEMENT OF SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN IN PRIORITIZING ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION PERSONNEL IN VACCINE ROLLOUT

I would like to express my gratitude to the IATF for heeding my call on the inclusion of customer-facing personnel of electricity distribution companies in the master list of Priority Group A4 in the ongoing vaccination program, along with those similarly situated in the telecommunication companies, cable and internet service providers and water distribution utilities.

Just like the medical frontliners, these hardworking people also put their lives on the line just so they could perform their job and be of service to the consumers. No one can belittle the role they play in this time of pandemic as the services they render affect our daily lives. No one working from home or doing business online can go through his daily grind if he has no internet connection or electricity supply.

These servicemen are the ones who ensure that we continue to have uninterrupted services. It's a small token compared to the risks they take every time they do house-to-house services.

As we expect them to be of service to the people amid the heightened enforced health protocols, the call for their inclusion in the priority list for vaccination is to ensure their safety being among those who should be considered as part of the frontline personnel in essential sectors.