Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Tuesday said the government should be able to vaccinate Filipinos against COVID-19 within two years for faster economic recovery.
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Recto said he understands that the government is being careful in its procurement and planned distribution of coronavirus vaccines, but it should also be done immediately to boost public and investor confidence.
"I think (the) government is trying its best but we have to move faster. Incidentally, we heard also them say na (that they are targeting) three to five years. That's too long. I don't think it should take five years. I think it should be two years," Recto said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
"Confidence. Saying that we will be able to vaccinate or inoculate our people in three to five years does not provide confidence. Saying that we can do it in one to two years will provide confidence...So maraming (there will be a lot of) missed opportunities, sayang (it will be a waste)," he said.
"I think it would be hard to survive three to five years. It's too long," the former socioeconomic planning secretary raised.
National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier in November said the government plans to inoculate about 60 million to 70 million Filipinos in three to years to achieve herd immunity from the disease.
Galvez had said that the country cannot undertake a massive and simultaneous due to "challenges" in the supply of the vaccines and the services needed to implement the inoculation.
Recto said the Philippines could engage in bilateral agreements with other countries to acquire COVID-19 vaccines.
"There are many countries who ordered vaccines more than their population. We can talk to them, pay them back, o yung sobra nyo sa amin na. Like England, they bought a lot of vaccines. We can talk to them and maybe get a part of it," he proposed.
Aside from the immediate inoculation, Recto reiterated that increased spending for the health sector will also boost confidence.
"If we can show the public, hey, 'yong mga health workers natin binabayaran natin 'yan nang tama (that our health workers are being paid properly), that will provide confidence. We’re spending more now for our health infrastructure, 'pag nagkasakit kayo sagot ng gobyerno (that when people are sick, the government will shoulder it). That should provide confidence," he said.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Pangilinan said the safety and efficacy should be the government's prime consideration in purchasing the vaccines that it will administer to the Filipinos.
"Gaano kaligtas at gaano kaepektibo, hanggang kelan? 'Yan ang mga gusto nating malaman tungkol sa pagpili ng bakuna laban sa COVID-19 (How safe and effective will the vaccine be, and until when? Those are the things that we wanted to know in considering a vaccine against COVID-19)," Pangilinan said in a statement.
"Mahalaga rin na magtiwala ang mga babakunahan, ang taumbayan, sa proseso ng pagbili nitong mga bakuna (It's also important that those who will be vaccinated, the people, will trust the process of acquiring these vaccines)," he added, stressing the need to ensure that no corruption would taint the vaccine procurement process.
Under the proposed 2021 national budget, lawmakers allocated a P72.5-billion funding for the purchase and other expenses needed for the government's COVID-19 vaccination program. Of the total, P70 billion was placed under unprogrammed appropriations with government finance managers assuring that they will be able to secure this amount.
The Senate, on Monday, created anew the Committee of the Whole to look into the executive department's "game plan" for implementing its inoculation program.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who is set to lead the inquiry, said on Tuesday that he will wait for updates from the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases before setting a date for the Committee of the Whole hearing.