THE Archdiocese of Davao is appealing for volunteers as it gears up in putting up more parish-based vaccination centers in the city.
“Early on this year, in these difficult times of the pandemic, we have expressed as an archdiocese our willingness to be of assistance to our City Government and our City Health Office in the effort to bring vaccination to as many people as quickly as possible,” Davao Archbishop and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Romulo Valles said in Circular 30 dated August 7, 2021,
He said the City Health Office (CHO), through its Vaccination Team, had started to partner with its parishes in organizing the parish-based vaccination center on July 31. A total of 686 people were vaccinated at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Obrero, Davao City.
Valles said the parish prepared the place or venue of the vaccination (including (rooms, chairs, tables, etc.), campaigning for and organizing professional medical and non-medical volunteers that will be oriented by CHO, preparation of meals and snacks for the volunteers, and the need to borrow computer laptops, electric fans, etc. to be used during the actual vaccination.
“I am therefore endorsing the noble efforts of the priests in the parishes and the parish staff to organize this Parish-Based Vaccination Center,” he said.
He also appealed to the parishioners and others to help them in campaigning for volunteers.
“I also appeal to our parishioners, our friends and benefactors to assist the parish in terms of helping out in the campaign for needed volunteers mentioned above and to assist in seeing to it that the material items mentioned above will be available and ready for the vaccination to be conducted in the parish,” Valles said.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in a previous interview, welcomed the Davao Archdiocese’s help in the city’s vaccination program of lending their church facilities.
“Nag-direct message sa akoa si Archbishop Valles, and I told him that we will include that sa atong listahan sa mga options ang ilahang offer na gamiton ang ilang facilities for the vaccination program (I personally received a direct message from Archbishop Valles and I told him that we will include it in our list of options to include their facilities for our vaccination program),” Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
The city is currently inoculating priority groups A1 (health care workers, mayors, governors and families of health care workers), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), A4 (workers who need to go out to work) and A5 (indigent).
As of August 8, 2021, a total of 402,158 Dabawenyos were already vaccinated with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccines.
Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser also revealed that the City Government is considering pushing for a special vaccination for those in the religious sector.
