DOTr, MMDA to hold 5-day vax drive for commuters, transport workers

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), in partnership with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), will conduct a mobile vaccination drive for commuters and transport workers at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) for five days starting on Monday, January 24.

The activity — dubbed as “We Vax as One: Mobile Vaccination Drive” —will provide vaccine and booster doses of AstraZeneca. Those receiving their booster shots will be given priority.

According to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, the newest initiative is eyed to distribute 500 vaccine doses per day.

“Mahalaga po para sa atin na masigurong bakunado ang ating mga bayaning transport workers, lalo na at iba't-ibang lugar ang kanilang pinupuntahan, gayundin ang ibang stakeholders at mga commuters na kanilang nakakasalamuha sa araw-araw (it is important for us to ensure that our heroic transport workers are vaccinated, especially when they go to different places, as well as other stakeholders and commuters with whom they come in contact on a daily basis),” Tugade was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Communications and Commuter Affairs Goddes Hope Libiran said that those who will receive the vaccine at the site — as long as travel is considered essential — will be allowed to board public transport.

The vaccination at PITX will be given from 8a.m. until 12 noon. Those who want to be vaccinated are advised to proceed to Gate 4 at the second floor of the PITX. This is walk-in vaccinees with the registration to be done onsite.

The department shared that last July, the department conducted a similar program to for transport workers for six consecutive weeks. Named as “TsuperHero: Kasangga ng Resbakuna”, last year’s inoculation drive was focused on public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, conductors, and other transport workers.

Those who participated in the program were the DOTr Road Transport Sector, the Department of Health (DOH), the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation (MMCC), the Parañaque City government, and the PITX.

For that event, the MMCC converted five buses of which three were used to inoculate at least 1,000 transport workers every Saturday to reach the minimum target of 6,000 individuals to be vaccinated.

The Parañaque City government meanwhile provided the first batch of vaccines for the vaccination drive with the remaining vaccine doses needed were sourced from the national government, under the nationwide vaccination program.

Photos from Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

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