BCCI to raise P10M seed fund to buy vaccine for workers

TAGBILARAN CITY—The Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) plans to raise P10-M seed fund to buy the COVID-19 vaccine for the private sector frontline workers to ensure that its people are protected against the virus.

BCCI member Atty. Lucas Nunag said in an online Kapihan sa PIA radio forum Thursday, that for a person to have enough protection against the COVID-19 virus, one must spend between P150 to P1,850 for the two doses of vaccine and between P2,500 to P4,500 for the standard test called Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).

According to Nunag that should the BCCI succeed in this fund-raising campaign, all store keepers, sales clerks, promo merchandisers, drivers, conductors, laborers, construction workers, and those working for their companies under the BCCI can be inoculated to stop the virus from spreading through them.

Nunag said that if the tourism industry stakeholders and establishment owners here could raise enough funds from local sources, it would be easier to leverage the same for national funds as counterpart.

Nunag, who owns a tropical resort in Panglao added that this would be a pro-active move towards economic recovery and would send a reassuring message to tourists that Bohol is a safe destination.

“We would rather go for a P1,800 double dose of the vaccine than spend P4,500 for a simple test which does not yet cover treatment costs.  The sooner we can raise the funds, the better it would be for Bohol,” Nunag added.

Nunag leads the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) in Bohol and has been at the forefront of looking for ways to re-open Bohol's tourism. If the plan pushes through, Boholano workers can be well protected from the virus and enhance the confidence of the tourists to come to Bohol, he noted.

This can also help the people and the local economy to recover from the crippling impact of the pandemic.  Nunag admitted that it might take long before Bohol can return to pre-COVID normal, but everything must be ready before the tourists can come.