ABOUT 400 students of Mabalacat City College (MCC) have begun receiving their Covid-19 vaccine shots.

The vaccine recipients are students who are 18 years old and above and will undergo their internship this semester.

Commission on Higher Education Chairperson J. Prospero De Vera III commended the initiative, saying it reflects how society should come together to fight the pandemic.

“With the massive digital migration that is happening now, the Higher Education especially its graduating class, shall play a major role in the economic recovery because it is their generation who can skillfully navigate this era. I encourage other local government units and institutions to recognize this connection,” he said.

National Task Force Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon likewise expressed support to the initiative, which he said will back the economic recovery efforts of the country.

For his part, Mabalacat City Mayor and MCC Board Chairperson Crisostomo Garbo said the vaccination of the students is one way for the city to achieve herd immunity.

“We want to protect all Mabalaqueños as soon as possible since Covid-19 variants become more and more dangerous. Aside from that, this will also make our students very well equipped to enter the labor force,” Garbo said.

Meanwhile, MCC President Michelle Aguilar-Ong said the vaccination of their students will prepare them to be part of the workforce and of the country’s economic recalibration.

“Our [MCC] advantage is that Clark, as one of the major economic movers of the country, is just at our doorstep. With its proximity to us, we can have our students immersed in actual work,” Aguilar said.

She added that aside from inoculating its students, MCC is currently retrofitting its campuses as it eyes to implement bubble on-the-job training for courses that require skill demonstration and mastery.

MCC is the first public college in the country to inoculate its students against Covid-19. (PIA)