Tap PBA players to promote vaccines, says MMDA chief

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) suggested tapping athletes, particularly players from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), to boost Filipinos’ confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said he believes such “media influencers” can help the public understand that any vaccine brand available in the Philippines can provide a layer of protection against the coronavirus.

“We need media influencers if this is the case in other areas – athletes, for example, Philippine Basketball Association players,” Abalos told the ABS-CBN News Channel in an interview on Wednesday, May 26.

“I’ll raise this up. PBA, the players, and the national athletes could really help here,” he added.

Abalos, who is the presiding officer of the Metro Manila Council, regularly meets with the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases to raise policy suggestions agreed upon by the region’s mayors.

On Wednesday, Abalos also appealed to the public to take the vaccine, saying health workers are already tired attending to COVID-19 patients for more than a year.

“Pumunta lang tayo rito [sa vaccination center], and whatever [vaccine brand] we have right there, sasabihin naman namin sa inyo once you’re there in the screening room,” he added. (Go to vaccination centers, and rest assured that whatever vaccine brand we have right there, we will inform you once you’re in the screening room.)

The appeal came as the national government ordered local government units to implement a “brand agnostic” vaccine policy. Under this policy, LGUs would only disclose the brand of COVID-19 vaccine to recipients once they are already in the inoculation site.

Many Metro Manila mayors welcomed the order, while some senators expressed reservations about the policy.

Tap PBA players to promote vaccines, says MMDA chief

A Social Weather Stations survey conducted from late April to early May found that only three in 10 Filipinos were willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, around two months since the Philippines launched its immunization drive. — Rappler.com

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