BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – To attain herd immunity, Mayor Marxlen Dela Cruz of Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental is eyeing incentives such as holding raffle draws for the town’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinees.
According to Dela Cruz, this would further encourage residents to get vaccinated.
The town mayor said it would be very difficult to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the town’s population because vaccination is voluntary.
Based on official data, only 1,000 residents have been vaccinated so far. According to a 2015 census, the town had a population of 25,662.
Earlier, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson bucked a proposal giving incentives to those fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
He said the vaccine itself is already a big incentive because it gives protection against severe COVID-19.
Last month, National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) spokesperson Restituto Padilla said they were eyeing incentives such as discounts on goods and services for those vaccinated against COVID-19.
Following Padilla’s statement, several local government units (LGUs) designed incentives. In Las Piñas City, Deputy Speaker Camille Villar launched a raffle draw that automatically qualified those vaccinated. Raffle prizes vary, including a house and lot and P1.5 million cash.
A mayor in Ilocos Sur province announced a similar scheme. The raffle draw is in December.
Another mayor in Central Luzon is offering livestock packages for vaccinees./PN
