Go lauds gov't on National Vaccine Roadmap

Senator Christopher Lawrence  “Bong” Go on Tuesday commended the national and local governments and their private sector partners for their various contributions in formulating a Philippine National Vaccine Roadmap which will ensure the accessibility of a safe and effective vaccine for all Filipinos.

The priority in the vaccination list are the poor and vulnerable sectors as well as frontliners including medical workers, teachers, and the uniformed personnel.

“Bilang chairman ng Senate Committee on Health, ang pangunahing interes ko ay ang availability, accessibility, and affordability ng mga bakuna kontra COVID-19. Dapat rin na kayanin nating mabigyan ng libre ang mga mahihirap at vulnerable sectors para makabalik na sila sa normal na pamumuhay,’’ Go said. (As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, my first interest is the availability, accessibility, and affordability of the vaccines against COVID-19. We should also ensure that we could provide it for free for the poor and the vulnerable sectors so they could go back to their normal way of living.)

“Dapat rin siguraduhin na safe at effective ang vaccine na gagamitin natin (Make sure that the vaccine that we are going to use is safe and effective). We should not take chances. Buhay ng mga Pilipino ang nakataya dito (It is the lives of the Filipinos that are at stake here),” he added.

He reminded the government that this must be done in accordance with prevailing laws to ensure that no money is wasted and Filipinos who need help the most are prioritized. 

“Buo ang aking tiwala sa kakayahan ni General Carlito Galvez matapos siyang inatasan ni Pangulong Duterte na tumayong COVID-19 vaccine czar. Pagdating sa procurement nito, siguraduhin dapat na may ‘due diligence’ at tamang proseso ang masusunod,’’ he said. (I fully trust the capability of Gen. Carlito Galvez after he was named by President Duterte as COVID-19 czar. When it comes to its procurement, it has to be assured that there is ‘due deligence’ and correct process is followed.)

At present, there are four possible modes of vaccine financing, according to Galvez, namely: direct procurement, multilateral loans, bilateral loans and private sector financing at no cost to the government through a tripartite agreement involving the national government, pharmaceutical company, and the private sector. 

“Babantayan rin natin ang prosesong tatahakin sa pag-develop at pagbili ng vaccine para masigurong safe at effective ang mga ito, at walang pera o oras na masasayang,’’ he added. (We will monitor the process to be used in the development and procurement of the vaccine to ensure that these are safe and effective, and no money and time will be wasted.)

“Ang palaging paalala ng Pangulo sa mga finance managers natin, headed by Sec. Carlos Dominguez III, ay bantayan at busisiin ang lahat ng mga transaksyon na ginagamitan ng pera ng bayan (The president has repeatedly reminded our finance managers, headed by Sec. Carlos Dominguez III, and monitor and scrutinize all the transactions that will be financed by taxpayers’ money). Especially in times of crisis, every single peso counts,” he added.  

Go also stated that a safe and effective vaccine that is accessible and available to all Filipinos plays a crucial role in the country’s path towards recovery from the ongoing pandemic.

“Napakahalaga ng papel ng vaccine sa ating recovery mula sa kasalukuyang pandemya. Ito po ang magiging susi upang makabalik ang ating pamumuhay natin sa normal. Kaya naman napakalaking bagay ng vaccine roadmap na ito,’’ he said. (The vaccine is very crucial in our recovery from the current pandemic. This is key towards our recovery to our normal lives. This is why the vaccine roadmap is very important.)

“Once declared na ito na safe ng Food and Drug Administration, dapat po available ito sa mahihirap, accessible ito sa mahihirap. Sa usapang affordability naman, dapat po libre ito na ibigay sa ating mga kababayang mahirap. ‘Yun po ang unahin namin ni Pangulong Duterte,’’ he added. (Once this has been declared as safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this has to be made available and accessible to the poor. When it comes to affordability, this should be provided for free for our poor countrymen. . This is what I and President Duterte will prioritize),” Go said.

He issued the statement in an ambush interview right after leading the distribution of assistance to typhoon victims in Cavite yesterday.

In a presentation by the National Task Force for COVID-19, seven stages and the corresponding government agencies responsible for their implementation were identified as part of the country’s vaccine roadmap approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.  

The first stage includes Scientific Evaluation and Selection of the Vaccine which will be facilitated by the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Health and the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP).

Stage 2, or Access and Acquisition which would guarantee the country’s access to the vaccine, will involve the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management and the VEP.

Stages 3, 4, and 5, or the Procurement Process and Financing, Production, Shipment and Storage, and Distribution and Deployment, will be handled by the Procurement Service of the DBM and the Task Group Resource Management and Logistics (TGRML) of the National Task Force for COVID-19.

The DOH, together with national government agencies, and local government units, among others, will implement Stage 6, or the Implementation and Nationwide Vaccination. The last stage, Assessment, Evaluation, and Monitoring, will be carried out by the DOH, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the University of the Philippines (UP) National Institutes of Health.

The deciding factor  in terms of vaccine selection and access and options to obtaining the vaccine will include safety and efficacy, single dose versus two doses, the varying temperature needed for the cold chain facility, and whether it will be single source or multi-source.

“Sa tulong po ng roadmap na ito, hindi lamang natin masisiguro na magiging cost-effective at efficient ang pag-procure natin ng bakuna laban sa COVID-19, masisiguro rin natin ang accessibility at availability nito para sa ating mga kababayan,’’ he added. (With the help of this roadmap, we are not only assured that our procurement of the vaccine against COVID-19 is cost-effective and efficient, we are likewise assured of the accessibility and availability of this for our countrymen.)

The country’s enrollment to the COVAX Facility with eight leading vaccine manufacturers, bilateral deals with the government and with vaccine companies, tripartite agreement between the government, private sector, and private company supported by another government, and multilateral modalities like pooled purchase are being considered to access and obtain the vaccine.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque had earlier laid out the government’s prioritization strategy for the distribution of the vaccine.

“Mauuna po ‘yung mga mahihirap at indigents. Ito po ‘yung nasa listahan natin ng 4Ps. Pangalawa ang frontliners, ang health care workers, mga sundalo, kapulisan, at ‘yung mga essential services. Pangatlo, lahat ng Pilipino ay makakatanggap ng bakuna, without exception (The poor and the indigents will be prioritized. They are in the list of our 4Ps. The frontliners come next, the health care workers, the soldiers, policemen, and those in the essential services. Thirdly, all Filipinos will get the vaccine, without exception)” Roque said.

Go had earlier appealed for the preparation of a vaccine program in anticipation of the COVID-19 vaccine.