Cebu LGUs push for incentives to encourage vaccination

CEBU, Philippines —  Local government units in Cebu want to give incentives to individuals who are vaccinated against COVID-19 in an effort to encourage more people get inoculated.

Cebu City wants to exempt from a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test and other medical requirements fully vaccinated individuals from other provinces, regions that enter the city.

Neighboring Mandaue City, meanwhile, wants its businesses to give discounts to consumers who are vaccinated.

Individuals who are vaccinated carry with them a vaccination card.

Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the city’s Emergency Operations Center, said Monday they will recommend this exemption to the Office of the Mayor.

“This is also our way of incentivizing our Cebu City (inbound) travelers. This will also apply to our airport and seaport passengers,” Garganera said.

It will not matter whether the individual was vaccinated in the Philippines or overseas as long as the date of travel to Cebu City is two weeks after the last or second dose.

If approved by the mayor, this development will amend Executive Order No. 125 that Mayor Edgardo Labella issued on March 25, 2021, which revised the guidelines for travel to the city of persons coming from provinces outside Cebu.

EO 125 modified an earlier directive dated November 16, 2020.

Section 3 of the EO states that returning residents, private authorized persons outside residence (APOR), non-APOR, persons traveling for leisure or humanitarian reasons shall prepare a negative RT-PCR result from a Department of Health-accredited molecular laboratory, taken not more than 72 hours prior to arrival.

For government APOR on official mission or business, prior to travel to the city, he/she must not present any COVID-like symptoms. He/she must be able to present his/her official government identification and mission or travel order issued by the head of agency.

All persons who will be entering Cebu City shall register with the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System of the Department of Science and Technology at https://s-pass.ph/ and upload applicable documentary requirements to secure a Travel Coordination Permit (TCP) or Travel Pass Thru Permit (TPP), whichever applies.

Upon arrival at the ports, each person shall be checked for symptoms. Persons with symptoms shall be subjected to RT-PCR test on arrival, regardless of prior RT-PCR test result initially provided, and will submit themselves to self-quarantine until results are released.

For persons traveling to Cebu City in transit, they shall also be required to register at https://s-pass.ph/ and secure a TPP.

Such TPP shall be presented at the respective ports of origin and ports of destination.

Mandaue incentive

In Mandaue City, Mayor Jonas Cortes urged businesses in the city to give discounts to consumers already vaccinated against COVID-19 to encourage more residents to get inoculated.

He channeled his appeal to the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as other merchants in the city.

“Ako nang gipadayag ngadto sa Chamber [of Commerce] atong intention para pag-boost sa atong vaccination program — pag-engganyo sa atong mga kaigsuonan,” he said.

As of June 14, 2021, Mandaue City has given the first dose to 23,058 residents and the second dose to 4,706 residents. At least 295,725 from its total population of 422,463 are eligible to receive the vaccine. — Jean Aldemer S. Salgados, JMO (FREEMAN)