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| 28 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) receive COVID-19 vaccine shots in Borongan City on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Photo by NBQ/PIA Eastern Samar |
TACLOBAN CITY — On Sept. 15, 2021, COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 28 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Borongan.
Maisa Plana-Asio, jail officer, said that since March 2020, the PDLs could not receive visits from their family or "dalaw."
That is why they decided to seek vaccination assistance from the local administration, believing that once the PDLs are completely vaccinated, they would request that the ‘visits' continue.
Eduardo Badiola, jail administrator, sought an allocation from Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda.
Agda then instructed City Health Officers Dr. John Kelly Cainday and Dr. Raul Villanueva to carry out the vaccine roll-out on September 15, 2021, with the assistance of medical health workers.
Erwin Dacallos, a PDL, is pleased with the vaccine; he believes that his chances of receiving visits will improve once he and other PDLs are completely vaccinated.
“With the vaccination, I will be protected against the virus, and the office may let our 'dalaw' to pay us another visit,” he said.
Badiola said that the vaccine is just the first step, as they would still seek approval from national headquarters to restart the 'dalaw.'
PDLs are those detained by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology while awaiting judgment or undergoing trial. —Tacloban News Update (Source: NBQ/PIA-Eastern Samar)