Two pharmacies under Robinsons Retail Holdings’ drugstore segment joined the pilot run of “Resbakuna sa Botika,” a program spearheaded by the National Vaccination Operations Center of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
Heeding the national government’s call to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the public, Southstar Drug and TGP recently organized vaccination drives at their branches in Marikina and Parañaque, respectively.
Southstar Drug’s Resbakuna Center in Barangay Concepcion Uno opened to Marikeños on January 20, 2022, with a simple ceremony attended by Marikina Mayor Marcelino Reyes Teodoro, Secretary Ramon M. Lopez of the Department of Trade and Industry, Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing of Department of the Interior and Local Government, Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. President and CEO Robina Gokongwei Pe, and RRHI Group General Manager (Drugstore Segment) Christine O. Tueres.
In his opening remarks, Mayor Teodoro thanked the national government for organizing Resbakuna sa Botika and Southstar Drug for its proactive participation in the program.
Speaking at the event, Gokongwei-Pe responded, “COVID-19 is indeed a challenge we all collectively face, and true to Southstar Drug’s tagline, ‘We Care a Little More,’ we are glad to be part of the solution through this initiative.” She added, “It is very important now to make vaccines even more accessible to the public so we can move forward on our road to national recovery.”
The following day, it was TGP’s turn to open its vaccination center at its branch in Sun Valley, Parañaque. Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez and presidential adviser Vince Dizon, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, attended the ceremony, along with the city’s top health officials as well as representatives from RRHI led by Gokongwei-Pe.
“TGP pioneered in the introduction of affordable and effective generic medicine in the country, and we are staying true to our commitment to serve communities through accessible medicine,” said RRHI’s president and CEO at the launch. “Today, we strengthen this commitment by being an avenue to make COVID-19 vaccines available to those yet unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. At Robinsons Retail, we are one with our government in initiatives to protect public health.”
In a prepared statement, Dizon said, “With the current Omicron surge, it is imperative that we continue to look for more ways to get the vaccines closer to the people who need them. We thank the pharmacies and clinics for responding to government’s call for support.”
Apart from RRHI’s Southstar Drug and TGP, a few other pharmacy chains and medical clinics were also tapped to join this public-private partnership.
According to acting presidential spokesperson and cabinet secretary Karlo Nograles, each participating pharmacy or clinic will have an allocation of 500 vaccine doses per week during the pilot phase, which could be increased depending on uptake and public demand.
For more information, visit robinsonsretailholdings.com.ph
