City to help promote businesses giving perks to vaccinated persons

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has requested business establishments operating in the city which are giving discounts, freebies, and other perks to individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine to submit their names to the city government.

This is to enable the city to properly acknowledge and help promote them. The city welcomes such initiative, which only shows support to the efforts of the city to promote a positive response to its vaccination drive.

Councilor Alvin Dizon sponsored a resolution regarding the matter which was approved by the council Wednesday.

“This initiative of our business establishments is a show of strong support and is aligned with the efforts of the city to promote a positive response to being vaccinated thus, worthy to be properly acknowledged and supported,” said Dizon.

The council earlier passed a resolution which made an appeal to grocery stores and supermarkets, restaurants, online food businesses, gyms and spa, hotels, pharmacies, tourist spots and attractions in the city, public transportation and other retail stores and service-oriented establishments operating within the city to incentivize health-seeking behavior by offering discounts, freebies, deals, and promos to vaccinated customers who can present proof of their COVID-19 vaccination.

This resolution was also sponsored by Dizon.

Dizon said this was premised on science which has established that COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help stop the pandemic and that economic recovery is linked to safe and effective vaccination.

He added it has also emphasized that aside from implementing a comprehensive public education drive about the COVID-19 vaccine, one strategy that could help encourage positive health-related choice which in this case, getting inoculated, is the use of reward and incentives through the involvement of the business sector.

There are already several business establishments in the city which are giving discounts and freebies to individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. — GMR (FREEMAN)