Two more mayors in Bohol have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Mayor Arturo Piollo II of Lila and Mayor Victoriano Torres III of Alicia received their first doses of the vaccine on Monday, making them the second and third chief executives to be inoculated next to Mayor Virgilio Mendez of San Miguel who was vaccinated last week.

According to Piollo, he was injected with CoronaVac, a jab developed by Chinese pharmaceutical Sinovac after the fifth class municipality received more than 200 doses earlier on the same day.

Some 78 health workers of the town were also vaccinated with Piollo.

“Dihay five deferrals kay 83 supposedly, lima ang wa nato ipadayon pa kay tag-as og BP (blood pressure). Willing sila pero mura’g tan-aw nako anxiety attack,” said Piollo.

Piollo admitted he is aware that only health workers are supposed to receive the jab while doses remain limited in the country, but noted that he opted to get vaccinated to encourage others to be inoculated as well.

“Sa atoa, daghan sa atong mga kapitan mga frontliners ug sa mga barangay na mo ingon na ‘wa pa gani si mayor ngano kami may unahon’ murag gatuo sila na gibinuangan nato,” he said.

The first-term chief executive said that he also informed Department of Health 7 director Dr. Jaime Bernadas of his decision to receive the vaccine.

Piollo said Bernadas told him that it was his call to whether or not be vaccinated despite not being on the priority list.

“To save this program, ingon g’yud ko ni RD Bernadas na magpaturok ko and I’m willing to answer for the consequences kung unsaon man gani,” he added.

Torres meanwhile announced on Facebook that he was vaccinated along with his “friends,” the Barangay captains of Cabatang, Progreso, Cayacay, Untaga and Napo. (R. Tutas)