POLICEMEN, who are part of the vaccination priority group A4, may receive the vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) from the local government units (LGUs) they are assigned to, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Guillermo Eleazar said on Monday, June 7, 2021.

Eleazar said the was approved by Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año.

Eleazar said 87.68 percent of police officers are willing to get anti-Covid-19 shots.

He said once the PNP gets vaccine doses allocated by the government, he will be the first one to get vaccinated to encourage the remaining 12 percent of the police force to get inoculated.

Eleazar said no policeman will be forced to receive the vaccine, but he stressed that they could serve as models to convince the public that the vaccines are safe.

So far, 15,700 out of the 220,000 PNP personnel have been vaccinated under priority groups A1 (health workers), A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities). (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)