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Dozens of local government units have announced plans, deals, and budgets for their COVID-19 vaccination program. But while they prioritize giving free vaccines to their respective residents and frontliners, some LGUs have announced that they are open to vaccinating nonresidents, too.

The mayors of these LGUs believe that, for their immunization programs to succeed, it is essential to include nonresidents who regularly engage in their areas, such as employees and students.

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So far, here are the cities that have announced covering nonresidents in their vaccination programs. They will follow the Department of Health’s strategy of prioritizing health workers and the most vulnerable.

Davao City

The city government announced on February 3 that the Davao City Council had approved on final reading its COVID-19 vaccination program ordinance. It will cover “all residents of Davao City and nonresidents found to be within the territorial jurisdiction of the city.”

However, a full assessment of the COVID-19 situation in the city will have to be conducted before the LGU can finalize its plans for vaccine procurement, distribution, and administration plan. The city government also said that age, gender, and other requirements for vaccination should be based on the guidelines made by the national government.

Iloilo City

Mayor Jerry Treñas announced on January 19 that the city government had requested 200,000 doses of vaccines (a person needs two doses) for nonresidents employed in the city. This is on top of the 600,000 doses it had secured in a previous deal with British-Swedish company AstraZeneca.

Iloilo City’s vaccination program will cover around 300,000 residents and 100,000 nonresidents. The city government has allocated an initial budget of P200 million for the program.

Makati City

Mayor Abby Binay said on January 31 the city’s free COVID-19 immunization program would also cover nonresident employees of all registered businesses in the city.

To qualify, the companies must have business permits for 2021 and should have up-to-date tax payments. Employees of companies that have purchased their own vaccines will no longer be covered by the program.

The Makati city government is allocating P1 billion for the procurement of coronavirus vaccines that will be administered to all residents for free.

Manila

Mayor Isko Moreno announced in January that both residents and nonresidents of Manila will have access to the vaccines once they arrive. The city government is still finalizing its plans for nonresidents, but its public information office said Manila was planning to roll out the vaccination program like its free drive-thru COVID-19 testing centers.

The City of Manila announced that it had signed a deal with AstraZeneca and allocated an initial budget of P250 million for 800,000 doses of vaccine. This would be enough to cover 400,000 people.

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Navotas City

Mayor Toby Tiangco said in the same online forum on February 3 that the city’s vaccination program would also cover nonresident workers and students in the city.

In a Telegram message to Rappler, Tiangco said qualified students would have to declare that they would prefer to be vaccinated in the LGU of their choice through an “attestation form” before availing themselves of the vaccine.

Navotas is setting aside an initial P20 million budget for 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Quezon City

Mayor Joy Belmonte said in an online Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on February 3 that the city government was also eyeing vaccinating nonresident workers and students in the city.

The city government has yet to announce its plans for the rollout, but it has so far allocated P1 billion for its immunization program. It also entered into a deal with AstraZeneca in early January for 750,000 doses that could cover 375,000 people.

– Rappler.com