The Duterte administration is hard put at choosing which agency or office would handle the vaccine procurement from foreign sources, Senator Imee R. Marcos said today.
‘’The Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) are surrounded by corruption scandals,’’ she pointed out.
"The performance in previous procurements by the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), which is the government’s trading arm, has been short of stellar,’’ she added.
The PITC is being asked to transfer to the Bureau of Treasury about P33 billion of funds from government agencies, including the Philippine Army, entrusted to it for years for the purchase of equipment and supplies from abroad.
“Once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the vaccine, government protocols on procurement should already be in place,’’ Marcos said.
Marcos emphasized that mass distribution of vaccines is just as important a concern as their procurement.
‘’We have to make certain that the DoH and local government units (LGUs) distribute the procured vaccines to our highly vulnerable, high-risk groups,’’ she said.
“The first order of business of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement signed this month should be the universal and equitable provision of the vaccine, prioritizing the most vulnerable and high-risk nations and sectors. We know we can’t do this alone, no matter how hard we try. There simply is no adequate local solution to a global problem!’’ she stressed.