President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to use helicopters to deliver vaccines vs COVID-19 to intensify the vaccination program in the country.

"I have ordered Secretary (Carlito) Galvez (Jr.), the PNP, and the AFP to provide all the necessary support to our LGUs particularly in the delivery of vaccines and mobilization of resources," Duterte said during his pre-taped Talk to The People aired on Wednesday morning.

"When it arrives there, inform that the vaccines will arrive in Philippine Airlines (PAL)in the airport. Then the helicopters will take over ng Air Force to deliver them.. even the police have helicopters they will also assist to hasten," he said.

"It will not have to go through the provincial government because that would be another gridlock... Let us use the helicopters that can land safely in the municipality that needs it, that is my order," he added.

This was ordered by Duterte after he admitted that the deployment of vaccines in the vaccination sites is weak.

"I don't know where the mistake is. The release of the vaccine at the national level is okay. The problem is when it comes to the provincial, regional level, this is where the problem arises. So even in the matter of deploying them to the proper sites is weak. So I told them to use the air assets of the PNP and the AFP," he added.

However, Duterte expressed hope that the local government will make sure that the "human resource" needed for the vaccination would be ready.

"When the vaccine was delivered in the area, the people should be there already. The human resource side would be ready to do the injections. If this would happen, I hope that the local governments, the mayors, would take time to really attend to this problem of delay," he said.

Duterte issued his order after the local government officials from different provinces like in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) raised concern over the geographical challenges in their area of responsibility where they have to bring the vaccines in the Islands and far flung areas where transportation becomes a problem. Robina Asido/DMS