Panay News

Galvez, Roque coming to City next week ‘with supplies, solutions’

Ayona and dri an Stewart Co

- By Glenda

ILOILO City – Presidenti­al Spokespers­on Harry Roque and Inter Agency Task Force chief implemente­r and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez are coming over next week.

According to Mayor Jerry Treñas, Department of Health ( DOH) undersecre­tary Dr. Leopoldo Vega will also join Galvez and Roque.

“They are coming to Iloilo City early next week with the needed supplies and solutions,” Treñas announced yesterday.

Roque and Galvez called to inform him that they were looking for solutions for the city’s concerns.

These included lack of coronaviru­s disease 2019 (vaccines); the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) unpaid bills to hospitals here amounting to almost P1 billion; lack of medical personnel and COVID medicines; and lack of equipment like ventilator­s and high flow oxygen cannula.

“I will wait for them so I will know how these problems can be resolved for my beloved Ilonggos,” he added. This came as both Treñas and ‘FRIENDS AGAIN?’ Roque had a sort of “

parinigan.”

Roque, for his part, denied blaming the Ilonggos for the recent spike in COVID-19 cases here (as what Treñs earlier pointed out).

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e spokesman, Treñas might have “misunderst­ood” his statement as he was just emphasizin­g the importance of the minimum public health standards to combat the deadly virus. “What I meant was,

bagama’t containmen­t nariyan na ang bakuna, habang

population protection, mask, wala pa tayong at

first line of defense,” Roque said. hugas, iwas pa rin ang

“That is my message to everyone where there is a surge of COVID-19 cases. yan. (Mayor Treñas) knows I am

Lambing po Ilonggo,” added Roque, whose ‘ mother is from Jaro district.

Earlier, Treñas, in an interview with One News’ “Sa Totoo Lang”, lambasted Roque for blaming Ilonggos’ supposed lack of discipline for the fast transmissi­on here. “

niya. I think as an Mas mabilis ang bunganga intelligen­t person, niya sa utak

mo. dapat mauna Instead of helping Iloilo City, he’s ang utak mo sa bunganga blaming Ilonggos. What kind of

Secretary are you?” Treñas said. “

namin, Ang masakit pa, tumataas

yan? ang kaso kami pa ang may

yan. Instead of trying kasalanan. Ano ba ‘ Hindi to look for ways to help out, he naman tama ‘ (Roque) is blaming us. What kind of person are you?” he added.

On the other hand, upon the request of Treñas backed up by appeals of various sectors here, the city received 5,850 doses of Pfizer vaccines and 20,000 doses of Sinovac.

“The Pfizer vaccines will be given as first doses prioritizi­ng

VACCINE ARRIVALS

seniors and t hose with comorbidit­ies. We will do the rollout at the soonest possible time,” Treñas said.

The city mayor also mentioned that Galvez and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque assured him of additional 50,000 more Sinovac vaccines.

He added that if these arrived, the city will operate four vaccinatio­n centers - Central Philippine University (Jaro), Ateneo de Iloilo (Mandurriao), Iloilo Convention Center (Mandurriao) and University of San Agustin Gym (City Proper),” said Treñas./

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