By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Mayor Melecio Yap of Escalante, Negros Occidental said the “call of duty” made him decide to be inoculated despite IATF directives to give priority to health workers of the respective local government units.
Yap, who was the first mayor in Negros Occidental to be vaccinated against COVID-19 infection, wants to set himself as an example to encourage his constituents to receive the jabs.
He is optimistic that Malacañang will listen to reason on why some local chief executives had themselves vaccinated first.
“It is just the media that is blowing it up,” Yap lamented.
Earlier, the Department of Interior and Local Government already issued show cause order to some local chief executives for alleged violation of the government’s vaccination priority list.
Yap said that he has already sent his explanation to the DILG, even before he received a show cause order from them.
He said until press time he has not received any reply from DILG yet.
“I don’t think they will send me a reply anymore if they see that my reasons are right,” the mayor said.
He further said that “while every town and city have a different situation, in fairness to all concerned mayors, we must address the situation on a case-to-case basis”.
Yap also said that he believes Malacañang will listen to the reasons of the mayors who led their vaccination programs by having themselves vaccinated first.
