By Jennifer P. Rendon
The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to utilize police stations as vaccination hubs once vaccines for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are available in the country.
Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero, PRO-6 spokesperson, said the PRO-6 command acknowledged the President’s trust and confidence in the PNP in the fight against COVID-19.
By making police stations as vaccination centers, Gorero said the government wants to make the vaccine available, especially for those who could not afford to buy one.
During a late night public address on Sunday, Duterte told the police to prepare their units and see to it that they are clean and ready if and when a vaccine becomes available.
“Itong bakuna ibigay ko sa pulis pati military. Kayong mga pulis, makinig kayo sa akin ha. Linisan ninyo ‘yang presinto ninyo (I will give the vaccines to the military and the police. Clean your stations and make them ready for the (immunization) day,” he said.
Duterte said police stations are all over and that they are near to the people.
Under his plan, the President will task the police and the military to supervise the distribution of vaccines while health professionals, including uniformed nurses, will help.
“I’ll leave the problem to [Interior Secretary Eduardo] Año, for the uniformed nurses sa pulis (in the police), and for [Defense Secretary Delfin] Lorenzana. They should be assembled and help,” he said.
If there is a vaccine and once it is delivered expeditiously, Duterte believed that administering of it would be done in about a week’s time.
He also assured that everyone will get a vaccine shot as long as they are Filipinos.
