PALO, LEYTE – The DILG Regional Office 8 (DILG RO8) together with Department of Health Eastern Visayas (DOH-EV), and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD8) jointly organized the Regional Launching of PINASLAKAS cum RIATF-RTF Dialogue with the Newly-Elected Local Chief Executives of Region 8 on August 18, 2022 at the Pavilion, The Oriental Leyte.
In pursuit of the vision of the President’s directive, the campaign aims to harmonize COVID vaccination strategies to ramp up the vaccination operations, and contribute to the new administration’s first 100 days with 90% vaccination coverage for the A2 category, and at least 50% booster coverage in the region.
Following the message of the Chairman of the RIATF-EID8, Atty. Arnaldo E. Escober Jr. were also messages of support in the strategies behind the launching of the PINASLAKAS Campaign amidst the continuing fight against COVID-19:
DILG USec. Marlo L. Iringan, CESO III in his message expressed the general importance of the PINASLAKAS campaign.
“Hindi pa tapos ang laban sa COVID-19 kaya mahalaga na patuloy na mapanatili ang kalusugan ng ating mga nasasakupan dahil mahalaga ito sa pananatili sa kalusugan ng ating lipunan at bansa at nagsisimula ang proteksiyon na ito sa pagkakaroon ng bakuna at booster shots ng lahat. This is the reason why the PINASLAKAS Campaign was launched.”
In addition, OCD USec. Raymundo B. Ferrer aspired for strengthened solidarity among the member agencies.
“I look forward to the growth of cooperation between agencies and our people as a fruit of this dialogue. With this, we will be able to surmount the lingering challenge of the pandemic and to face the threat of disasters that looms ever at the horizon.”
Furthermore, DOH ASec. Roy B. Ferrer addressed the need for more improvements to widen the scope of the PINASLAKAS campaign.
“We will continue to work and heal as one. We aim to be realistic with our goals and that is why we need to look for newer strategies and more support especially in the doubling efforts to penetrate hard to reach areas so that we can ramp-up the presidential directives through our best efforts.”
In attendance were DILG8 RD Atty. Arnaldo E. Escober Jr., DOH8 RD Dr. Exuperia B. Sabalberino, OCD8 RD Lord Byron P. Torrecarion, representatives from the Provincial Health Offices (PHOs), Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (PDRRMOs), and fifteen (15) different National Government Agency (NGA) members of the RIATF-RTF8. Also present were Biliran Province Governor Gerard Roger M. Espina, representative of the Provincial Governor of Eastern Samar, forty-nine (49) mayors, one (1) vice-mayor, seven (7) councilors, and thirty-seven (37) representatives from all over the region to discuss the vaccination campaign.
The objectives of the event are to update all Local Chief Executives on COVID-related matters; discuss COVID-19 Protocols for Business, Tourism Sites and Educational Institutions; discuss Disaster Response Operations; address vaccine hesitancy particularly in rural and far-flung areas; and award plaques to LGUs with high vaccination rate.
