Sen. Francis Pangilinan said Friday that the government will not have a problem with the availability of funds in procuring COVID-19 vaccines.
However, Pangilinan warned that the "slow" bureaucratic process could derail the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program since he believes that the country could even shore up additional funds to finance it.
"Hindi pera ang problema; bureakrasya ang problema (Money is not the problem; bureaucracy is the problem)," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
Under the 2021 general appropriations, a total of P72.5 billion was appropriated for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, P2.5 billion of which was allocated to the Department of Health, while P70 billion was lodged under the unprogrammed appropriations.
Another P10 billion has been set aside for vaccine purchase under the "Bayanihan to Recover as One" or Bayanihan 2 Act.
Besides the budget provided by Congress, Pangilinan recalled learning during their debates in the Senate that "we have anywhere between P800 billion to P900 billion in cash."
He said billions of government funds remain unspent due to the slow release and utilization by agencies in the Executive department, prompting the lawmakers to extend the validity of the 2020 budget and the Bayanihan 2.
"Bilyong-bilyong halaga ng pera ang hindi nagagamit dahil mabagal, may burokrasya ng Executive department. Kung hindi natin in-extend, eh babalik sa national treasury, na kinakailangan nating gastusin dahil 'yon ang hinahanap ng ating mga kababayan (Billions worth of money are not being spent because of the slow, excessive bureaucracy in the Executive department. If we did not extend it, the unused funds will be reverted to the national treasury, when we badly need to spend it because these are what our people need)," he said.
"We are facing the worst economic crisis since World War 2, sabi ng mga (according to) experts. We are facing the worst crisis, siguro (maybe), in a hundred years, and therefore, hindi katanggap-tanggap na sa gitna ng ganitong mga pangangailangan na gastusin para makatulong ay mabagal at makupad ang pagrelease ng pondo (It is unacceptable that despite the need for such government spending to help our people, there is a slow release of funds)," he added.
"That's why we're pushing for better performance and clearer deliverables dito sa (here in the) COVID-19 vaccine rollout," he said.
The Senate Committee of the Whole is set to conduct an inquiry into the government's game plan in purchasing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines to the country's population.
"The Senate would like to step in and, try to, precisely, help put some direction and coordination in the vaccine rollout, which is critical," Pangilinan said.Sen. Panfilo Lacson had claimed that Health Secretary Franciso Duque "dropped the ball" in the procurement of coronavirus vaccines from United States-based Pfizer. Duque denied the claim.