Press Release
May 15, 2021

Villanueva urges IATF to put up drive-thru or mega vaccination site for delivery riders, couriers

Designating a drive-thru or mega vaccination site for Mega Manila's parcel and food couriers could help speed up the utilization of 5.1 million vaccines facing expiry, Senator Joel Villanueva said.

This massive riding community has "the wheels and the apps that could vaccinate thousands of these essential workers in a day, noted Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee.

The booking system through which people order food or send goods can be used by the couriers this time to register for and schedule their vaccine shots, the senator explained in a statement.

He added that delivery riders deserve to be "rewarded and protected for unselfishly serving as the lifeline to the outside world by people locked down in their homes and communities."

And because they are in contact with many people every day, then all the more from a health perspective that these frontliners be vaccinated soon, Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, stated.

He bared that the vaccination of occupational groups by the private sector, such as the one proposed for delivery workers, is allowed under the newly-signed COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act.

Such delegation, he continued, has been successfully piloted by local governments in Metro Manila, who partnered with private villages to set up vaccination sites with health personnel drawn from homeowners.

Villanueva further suggested that the government encourage delivery companies to band together and form a consortium, "as a kind of a sectoral vaccination program that they themselves will help run."

"Mungkahi po natin sa IATF na pag-aralan ang pagtatakda ng isang go-to na vaccination site para sa ating mga delivery riders, para makasigurong mababakunahan sila ng maayos," he said.

Because delivery companies have a directory of riders, then there is already an existing verified registry, Villanueva noted. "Kilala na kung sino ang maaring tumanggap ng bakuna," he added.

He also said the "courier republic" can tremendously help the government speed up use of vaccines that have short storage life.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said the 5,155,957 COVID-19 vaccine doses in the country's inventory as of May 13 must be dispensed immediately.

"But if our highest so far is 83,000 jabs a day, the one recorded for May 13, and say we increase that to 100,000 a day, it will still take us almost two months to consume this stock. And more are coming," Villanueva asserts.

Villanueva estimated that opening a green lane for couriers will accelerate vaccine use and prevent backlogs that could lead to vaccine spoilage.

"Kung matapos agad ang mga delivery riders, baka pwede pong isunod na rin ang ibang mga essential workers," the senator said. "Delivery riders came to our rescue during the enhanced community quarantine. Now they can help in saving precious vaccines from getting ruined."


Villanueva, isinusulong ang drive-thru o mega vaccination site para sa mga riders, couriers

Iminungkahi ni Senator Joel Villanueva sa gobyerno na magtalaga ng mga drive-thru para sa bakuna o isang mega vaccination site para sa libo-libong delivery riders at couriers sa Mega Manila para umarangkada ang paggamit ng 5.1 milyong bakuna na malapit nang mag-expire.

Ani Villanueva, mapapabilis ang pagbabakuna sa mga delivery riders kung magtatalaga ng vaccination site nang hindi na kailangan pumila at makisabay pa sa mga LGU facility. Bilang mga "essential workers," malaking tulong sila sa mga mamamayan, lalo na noong panahon ng mahigpit na lockdown dahil sila ang nagdadala ng pagkain at iba pang mga pangangailangan.

Dahil sila ay nasa "frontline" din, marapat umanong mabakunahan din sila sa lalong madaling panahon kasabay ng iba pang grupong sumasabak sa laban araw-araw, dagdag ni Villanueva.

Sa ilalim ng bagong batas na COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act, pinapayagan ang pagbabakuna ng pribadong sektor kada occupational groups tulad ng mga delivery riders at couriers.

Ayon kay Villanueva, nagawa na ito ng ilang lokal na pamahalaan sa Metro Manila nang makipag-ugnayan at makipagtulungan sa mga subdivision o village para magsagawa ng bakunahan sa kanilang mga lugar sa tulong ng mga miyembro mismo ng homeowners o komunidad.

Ani Villanueva, dapat patuloy ang paghikayat ng gobyerno sa ang mga kumpanya ng food at courier services na magsama-sama para magtayo ng consortium na magsasagawa ng pagbabakuna sa kanilang mga delivery riders.

"Mungkahi po natin sa IATF na pag-aralan ang pagtatakda ng isang go-to na vaccination site para sa ating mga delivery riders, para makasigurong mababakunahan sila ng maayos," ayon kay Villanueva, chair ng Senate labor committee. "Kilala na po agad kung sino ang maaaring tumanggap ng bakuna dahil nasa listahan sila ng mga kumpanya."

Ayon sa mambabatas, kapag magawa ito, makakatulong ang hakbang na ito sa paggamit ng lagpas 5.1 milyon na bakuna na sinabi ni vaccine official Carlito Galvez ay malapit nang masira.

"Kung ang pinakamataas na natin na bilang ng nabakunahan sa isang araw ay 83,000, at pag nilakihan natin ito sa 100,000 kada araw, aabutin tayo ng dalawang buwan bago maubos ang 5.1 milyong bakunang ito. At marami pang bakuna ang inaasahan na darating," giit ni Villanueva.

"Kung matapos agad ang mga delivery riders, baka pwede pong isunod na rin ang ibang mga essential workers," dagdag pa ng senador.

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