The Department of the Interior and Local Government said more than 50,000 police and fire personnel will be deployed to various parts of the Philippines in June “to provide security and support to the national vaccine rollout” which is set to begin covering economic frontline workers.

In a statement on May 30, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the presence of uniformed personnel will ensure the smooth rollout of some 16 million vaccines that are poised to arrive in the Philippines in June and July.

The breakdown of the personnel and their tasks are as follows:

• 35,415 Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel – to provide security during transport of vaccines nationwide
• 13,840 PNP personnel – to secure various vaccination areas
• 2,390 Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel – to secure 1,150 identified warehouse or cold storage and vaccination sites

“Our DILG uniformed personnel will not only secure the vaccines, but those with medical backgrounds will also be assigned to do medical tasks in our vaccination sites all over the country,” Año said.

Since the Philippines’ COVID-19 immunization drive began in March, only people categorized under the A1 to A3 priority groups were eligible for the vaccine. They include health frontline workers, mayors and governors, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

In June, mass vaccinations for economic frontline workers or those under the A4 category will begin, but the national government narrowed down the initial priority list to those who work outside their residences or are government workers. 

The A4 vaccinations will also start in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao, collectively known as “NCR Plus 8.” 

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