Malabon sets P150-million budget for vaccines 

Malabon City plans to have a budget of P150 million to buy coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccines for its residents, according to a report by Manila Bulletin. 

Malabon Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III said they may allocate their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) and unused funds in 2020 to secure the said amount. 

However, Oreta also admitted that the Malabon city government lacks funds for the said move. 

“We are looking into it as we do not have enough funds for such an endeavor. If ever it will come from disaster as well as funds not used the previous year. We estimate at P150 million,” he said in a text message to reporters on Monday.

Several city governments in Metro Manila have announced that they plan to acquire COVID-19 vaccines separately from the national government to distribute for free to their residents. 

The City of Manila, Quezon City, Makati City, Taguig City, Parañaque City, Pasig City, Valenzuela City, and Navotas City are among the cities that have already announced their budget allocation for the vaccines.