The death of the mother of Mayor Rhumyla Nicor Mangilimutan of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, from COVID-19 has led to an upsurge of residents in her town wanting to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.
Noime Nicor, 71, La Castellana Liga ng mga Barangay president, died at the South Bacolod General Hospital on October 11.
The mayor said her mother, who was diabetic, refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The death of her mother and kagawad Mario Solar from COVID-19 has made La Castellana residents aware of how dangerous it is not to be vaccinated, the mayor said.
Almost all of the about 16 La Castellana residents who died from COVID-19 were unvaccinated, she said.
They were told that had her mother been vaccinated, she could have survived, Mangilimutan said.
Now they are vaccinating an average of 150 people a day in her town, Mangilimutan said, which is almost double the previous numbers.
She said the hesitancy of residents to be vaccinated in the past was caused by fake news on social media.
Her mother was replaced in the town council by Isidro Regie Arnaiz, the vice president of the La Castellana Liga ng mga Barangay, the mayor said.
Meanwhile, the mayor said the budget of La Castellana for 2022 is P306 million, an increase by P84 million because of the Supreme Court Mandanas ruling.*