KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) — A United Nations Children’s Fund official commended the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) in Region 12 for initiating the SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Immunization Coalition (SRIC), the first of its kind in the Philippines.
Dr. Carla Orozco, an immunization specialist with UNICEF Philippines, described the SRIC as a “very important initiative.”
“Your groundbreaking initiative is a good testament of partners coming together and showcasing it to other regions for them to also learn from,” Orozco said during a recent SRIC steering committee forum in Davao City.
“This is how we envision the immunization program to be—this is not the sole responsibility of the health sector or of the Department of Health. Really, it would take a village to raise a child, and that would take different stakeholders to support the government’s program to improve coverage,” Orozco added.
UNICEF, she emphasized, “is genuinely enthusiastic about this pioneering strategy, which also aligns with our global commitment to ensuring that every child receives the lifesaving vaccines they need.”
Orozco pledged UNICEF’s consistent technical assistance and support to the coalition.
Dr. Edvir Jane Montañer, DOH-CHD medical officer and regional program manager for the National Immunization Program, said the SRIC is a unified, multi-sectoral body designed to strengthen immunization programs and ensure equitable vaccine access in Region 12.
“The specific functions of the SRIC are to: strengthen immunization governance and policy integration; support service delivery and workforce capacity; and support demand generation and community engagement with a focus on gender equity,” Montañer said.
SRIC comprises government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private sector partners, the business community, faith-based organizations, cultural groups, civil society organizations, women’s and youth groups, local government units, LGU-based leagues and various immunization and health partners.
From March 25 to 28, DOH-CHD Soccsksargen and UNICEF convened coalition member agency heads and SRIC focal persons in Davao City to finalize the SRIC’s structure and functions, along with member agency and partner roles and deliverables, before the coalition’s April 30, 2025, launch.
The proposal to establish the coalition arose during the SOCCSKSARGEN Immunization Summit in February 2024. The alliance was further strengthened through an intersectoral meeting in June, a symposium on immunization featuring local chief executives in September and coalition-building workshops in December 2024 and January 2025.
The SRIC was featured during the National Immunization Summit on Jan. 30, 2025.
DOH-CHD data indicates that from 2019 to 2024, SOCCSKSARGEN Region achieved only 61 percent immunization coverage, leaving about 200,000 children unvaccinated.
These gaps, DOH-CHD 12 noted, resulted in pockets of vaccine-preventable diseases in 2023 and 2024.
Montañer said the multifaceted gaps and challenges in the immunization program require a collective, multisectoral approach, highlighting the need for the SRIC. (DED, PIA Region 12)
