Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Monday the chief implementers of the national task force for COVID-19 should disclose details of the term sheet agreement signed between the government and the manufacturer of Sinovac vaccines.
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Drilon said the fact that the agreement has already been signed means the negotiations had been sealed and thus, it is no longer subject to confidentiality.
“Sa akin po, kapag may pinirmahan ng kontrata, hindi na puwedeng itago. Kapag naka-set na ang presyo, hindi na puwedeng itago dahil tapos na ang negotiation,” Drilon said.
“My message to Secretary (Carlito) Galvez Jr., hindi po ba sinasabi ninyo na mayroon kayong term sheet na pinirmahan? Kung may term sheet, mayroon na dung presyo, volume, at schedule of delivery. Iyan po ay hindi dapat confidential dahilan pagpirma ng supply agreement iyan naman ang susundin (Didn’t you say a term sheet has been signed? If there’s a term sheet, that includes the price, volume, and schedule of delivery. That’s no longer confidential because once the supply agreement is signed, that must be followed),” the Senate minority leader said.
Drilon reminded Galvez, who was designated as the vaccine czar, that he has an “obligation to inform the people” regarding the government’s procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
“These are public funds. May kapangyarihan ang taumbayan na humingi ng impormasyon sang-ayon sa ating Saligang Batas at sang-ayon sa Korte Suprema (The people have the right to information as stipulated under our Constitution and in compliance with the Supreme Court),” he said.
“The Supreme Court says the people are entitled to know what happens at every stage of the negotiation,” the former Justice Secretary said, citing the case Chavez vs. Public Estates Authority.
Earlier, senators expressed their concerns over the varying prices of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines and neighboring countries which led some lawmakers to believe there could be corruption involved in the procurement.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company costs as little as $5 per dose or about P240 in other Southeast Asian countries but may be priced at $38 or more than P1,800 in the Philippines.
But Sinovac Biotech General Manager Helen Yang has assured that they would provide the vaccines to the Philippines at a very good price but did not disclose any details of the agreement.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also denied there is a huge difference in the price of Sinovac vaccines for the Philippines compared to other countries. Roque said the price of Sinovac vaccine given to the Philippines would be close to the price given to Indonesia.
The price of Sinovac vaccine in Indonesia, he said, costs around P670, P675 only.