Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto has filed a resolution urging the national government to allow local government units (LGUs) and the private sector to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for their constituents, employees, and dependents.

Recto filed on Wednesday the proposed Senate Resolution No. 617 which echoes his colleagues' appeal for the streamlining of the procurement of coronavirus vaccines.

Currently, LGUs and private companies may only purchase vaccines through a tripartite agreement with the national government and pharmaceutical firms.

Recto, however, said letting the LGUs and private sector buy their own vaccines is a "regulatory matter" that could be allowed temporarily during a pandemic or a state of national health emergency.

This way, the national government "can focus its vaccination program on those that belong to the priority, vulnerable, and disadvantaged sectors of the population," he said.

He maintained that if allowed, the LGUs and the private sector should only buy vaccines that have been issued with emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The administration of vaccines to their targeted recipients must also abide by the rules and procedures set by the Department of Health (DOH) and other government agencies.

During the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the government's vaccination plan last January 15, officials said the vaccine makers were not keen about directly negotiating with LGUs and companies as they refused to take responsibility over their products, which are still under clinical trials.

They also noted that with an EUA, the vaccines cannot be sold for commercial use so only the national government can procure them from the manufacturers.

National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. also said all the vaccines purchased by the LGUs and the private sector will be handled and administered by the DOH.

Companies must also comply with the government's prioritization rule for the inoculation, with low-income frontliners and essential workers first, before giving the vaccine to their other employees.

Executives and their families should not be counted in the vaccine purchase as pharmaceutical firms follow the "equitable access" policy by the World Health Organization.

The Philippines is negotiating with seven pharmaceutical companies to supply the COVID-19 vaccines for its upcoming inoculation program.