PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will touch on the Department of Health's (DOH) immunization program during his meeting with Cabinet officials at Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, February 6.
The government's vaccination program will be tackled at the Cabinet meeting, just hours after the Department of Health announced that there is a measles outbreak in Metro Manila.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the immunization drive is included in the agenda of the Cabinet meeting.
In 2018, immunization coverage slid to 40 percent from at least 70 percent in the last few years, following public fears that developed because of bungled Dengvaxia vaccine, the DOH earlier noted.
On January 29, Duterte said Filipinos, especially newborns, should receive vaccines in a bid to protect them from other diseases.
Earlier Wednesday, the DOH declared a measles outbreak in Metro Manila, after it has recorded around 861 suspected cases of the infectious disease in the region, as of February 2.
Meantime, Nograles said Duterte would also discuss with Cabinet officials the measures on streamlining the procedures in the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
To recall, Duterte expressed dismay over delays in the processing of land titles, prompting him to threaten the possible dismissal from service of two officials from DAR.
The President would also talk about possible ways of improving the country's agricultural productivity while making the programs "more inclusive, allowing small farmers and fisherfolk to play a bigger part in nation-building," Nograles added.
Nograles said Duterte and his Cabinet would also tackle the national identification system, which will create a single, official identification card for all Filipino citizens and foreign residents with a de facto national identification number. (SunStar Philippines)