The government will reduce the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines in Metro Manila next month, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said on Thursday.

"The allocation for Metro Manila will be reduced. By September Metro Manila will only receive more or less one million doses and in the fourth quarter it will become more or less four million since 50 percent of the population were already vaccinated," he said.

Roque said most of the vaccines will be provided to other regions near Metro Manila.

"Region IV-A including Cavite will receive 3,814,000 doses in September. And for the rest of the fourth quarter, 4-A will receive the biggest allocation at 17,475,388," he said.

Cavite Gov. Junvic Remulla earlier appealed to the government to allow local government units to import vaccines as supplies were not arriving often. Cavite has one of the highest COVID-19 cases in Region 4-A or the Calabarzon region.

"You can see that in the last quarter, we will have almost 20 million doses, which is good for ten million. We are expecting that the plus areas were able to catch up with Metro Manila," he added.

Roque said the areas which will receive the largest allocation for the fourth quarter are Region IV-A, almost 20 million; and then Region III with almost 17 million. Robina Asido/DMS