The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has compelled local government units (LGUs) Thursday to coordinate with the national government though the National Task Force ( NTF) Against COVID-19 and Department of Health (DoH) in the roll-out and purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.
In a statement, the DILG stressed the need for the coordination process in a tripartite agreement involving the national government and the pharmaceutical firms as more LGUs have expressed the interest to procure the vaccine in a bid to contain the spike of the virus.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año commended the “LGUs’ bold effort to earmark funds from their local budget for COVID-19 vaccines as commendable but the proper procedure must be followed to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure standardized pricing.’’
As the main procurer of the vaccine for the nation, Año assured that the national government will take the lead to ensure that the necessary monitoring and proper allocation, through the DoH, is done across the country.
“We thank the LGUs for augmenting the efforts of the National Government. We are on track to purchase some 184 million doses from several manufacturers and the procurement by LGUs will be a big help to inoculate more people,” Año said.
“The President has approved the tripartite approach in LGU procurement. We will follow this system to ensure that all involved parties are on the same page. So all LGUs who are planning vaccine procurement must coordinate with Vaccine Czar Charlie Galvez,” he added.