ESCALANTE City Mayor Melecio Yap Jr., who was the first mayor in Negros Occidental to be vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine, said he has not received any show cause order yet from the Department of the Interior and Local Government and that he is ready to be jailed if he has committed any violation for taking the risk.
He said call of duty made him decide to get vaccinated and to set himself as an example to encourage his constituents to take the Covid-19 vaccines.
"I took the vaccine despite the doubts on Sinovac. I took the risk," he added.
Yap said 150 doses of Sinovac vaccines arrived at Vicente Gustilo Hospital last week and only 47 health workers were willing to be vaccinated. This was the reason why he decided to take the vaccine despite having apprehensions about Sinovac.
He added he took the vaccine because he does not want it to go to waste as he learned that it has a short prescribed expiration.
He said he learned from the news that local chief executives have been classified as priorities for vaccination, only to learn on Tuesday of the show cause order against Romualdez and four other mayors.
"I took the risk on the vaccine despite the fact that If I had a choice I wouldn't take Sinovac. But I have no problem as I am willing to take penalties for my actions and I do believe I did not commit a mistake," Yap said.
He said several health workers at the hospital were hesitant of Sinovac and that only a few registered for the inoculation.
Yap said he even dared Hospital Administrator Dr. Vermont Uvahev, head of the city's Inter-Agency Task Force, to take the vaccine just to use the whole allocation for the hospital.
Yap said, so far, he has not felt any side effects nor adverse effects of the vaccine.
He also said he is willing to take on the second dose. If he will not be given, he is willing to wait after a year when he gets rid of the first dose from his body and takes on another brand of vaccine.
"Time will come that the vaccines will already be available in the market, I'll buy them for myself to get vaccinated," Yap added.
Yap made the statement after Mayor Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban City and four other mayors were served with showcause orders for violating the prioritization of the Covid-19 vaccination program.
Yap said he had no ill intention of getting the vaccine early.
DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said Mayor Alfred Romualdez of Tacloban City, Leyte; Mayor Dibu Tuan of T'boli, South Cotabato; Mayor Sulpicio Villalobos of Sto. Niño, South Cotabato; Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City, Albay; and Mayor Abraham Ibba of Bataraza, Palawan were issued show cause orders for jumping the queue in getting their Covid-19 shots.