MANILA - The Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific said their planes were helping transport COVID-19 vaccines to different cities in the country, as government's inoculation drive has begun.

Philippine Airlines spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said Thursday the flag carrier has flown thousands of doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to different parts of the country.

Some 17,400 doses of Sinovac vaccines have been shipped to Cagayan de Oro, 21,600 doses to Davao, 12,000 doses to Legazpi and 4,200 doses to Cotabato City, as of 10:35 a.m. on March 4.

"Philippine Airlines is proud to be part of this mission of bringing the vaccines to various parts of the country as a first step towards healing and recovery," Villaluna said in a Facebook post.

Cebu Pacific on Friday said its unit CebGo carried doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Zamboanga and Tuguegarao.

Zamboanga received 17 boxes, while 28 boxes were transported to Tuguegarao, the carrier said.

Cebu Pacific transported its first COVID vaccine shipment to Zamboanga & Tuguegarao today, March 5.

Photos @CebuPacificAir pic.twitter.com/KUzoqXwe0l

— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) March 5, 2021

“As a public service with the widest domestic network, we will do all we can to help ensure the timely and successful distribution of vaccines across the country, as we all work together to pave way for the recovery of our economy,” said CEBGo president and CEO Alex Reyes.

Cebu Pacific said it has flown a total 21,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Private firms have been instrumental in increasing the testing and isolation capacity of the country when the pandemic started last year.

Tycoon Manny Pangilinan earlier said Metro Pacific Investment Corp through its logistics arm has "taken the initiative" to store batches of China's COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac in its facility.

This year, private firms have committed to help in procuring, transporting and storing the vaccines.

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