• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya issued Executive Order NO. 059 yesterday for the free administration of rabies vaccines to Categories II and III patients belonging to priority sectors in the City of Bacolod.
The order said a significant number of animal bite cases have been recorded by the City Health Office, necessitating the urgent implementation of free rabies vaccination for Category II exposures among senior citizens, indigent residents, and other marginalized groups, in the interest of public welfare and for the protection of public health and the prevention of fatalities.
From January to June 2025, Bacolod City recorded 5,637 animal bite cases under Category I and II, and 1,088 cases under Category III, indicating high demand for post-exposure prophylaxis, it said.
The city government is committed to safeguarding its constituents from the deadly threat of rabies by ensuring the availability and equitable distribution of rabies vaccines, the order said.
The City Health Office (through its ABTC’s and other designated facilities) will likewise provide Tetanus vaccines free of charge to qualified patients identified under the Executive Order – namely Category II priority-sector beneficiaries and all Category III cases pursuant to wound management standards – provided that no treatment will be delayed pending claims or billing.
The City Health Office is given a period of three months from effectivity of the Order to amend its Project Procurement Management Plan (PPMP) and complete the necessary procurement of Tetanus vaccines to sustain free provision. In the interim, Tetanus vaccines will be served from existing city stocks and/or Department of Health allocations , subject to cold-chain, recording, and auditing rules, the Order added.*
