Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo has appealed to senators to give government officials involved in the procurement of coronavirus vaccines the benefit of the doubt.

Panelo said he hopes the lawmakers critical of the vaccination program would trust the officials to secure supply deals for safe and effective vaccines without corruption.

The Senate committee of the whole recently launched an inquiry into the government's vaccination program, posing questions about the choice of the vaccines and the acquisition cost. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., who was among the officials grilled during the Senate hearing, has declined to reveal the actual price of the vaccine until the supply deals are signed.

"Ang pakiusap naman natin sa mga senador natin, kayo naman bigyan ninyo naman ng give the people involved in the acquisition of the vaccines the benefit of the doubt. Titingnan ninyo rin kung may kakayahana na maging tiwali ito o yung bang proseso is open to corruption (Our appeal to the senators is give the people involved in the acquisition of the vaccines the benefit of the doubt. You should also see if there is a chance of corruption or if the process is open to corruption)," he said during his “Counterpoint” program Saturday.

Panelo explained that the government’s vaccine purchase must pass the stringent procedures from its financial partners such as World Bank and Asian Development Bank.  "Napaka-stringent, napakahirap umutang diyan. Bago mag-release ng pera 'yan, uusisain ka muna. I-audit ka talaga. (It is very stringent and hard to get a loan there. Before they release funds, they will scrutinize you and audit you)," he said.

At least P82.5 billion has been earmarked for the government's procurement of coronavirus vaccines. Of the amount, P70 billion will be sourced from loans, P2.5 billion from the 2021 national budget, and P10 billion from the Bayanihan 2 law.

Panelo said Galvez does not actually hold the government funds for the vaccine purchase. Any financial transaction will be made between the concerned multilateral agency and the vaccine suppliers, he added.

""Kaya 'yung pagdududa ninyo ay medyo hinay-hinay. Talagang sasama ang loob nga naman ni Sec. Galvez Wala naman siyang hawak na pera. (So please tone down your suspicions. Sec. Galvez was naturally offended since he does not have the money in hand)," he said. 

Panelo said critics of the government's vaccine purchase should "hold your horses," insisting that officials would certainly try to secure safe and effective vaccines since they also have their respective families.

"Antayin natin. Tandaan ninyo 'yang mga yan pagkatiwalaan muna natin (Let's wait for it. Let's trust them for now)," he said.

"'Yang mga yan may sariling pamilya 'yan, may mga sariling buhay 'yan at siyempre ang kukunin nilang mga bakuna
ay 'yung makakaligtas sa kanila at sa kanilang pamilya. May multiplier effect 'yan kaya dapat bigyan natin sila ng pagtitiwala (They have families, they have their own lives. Of course they will get vaccines that can save them and their families. There is a multiplier effect so let us trust them)," he said.

Panelo also allayed suspicion of corruption in the government's vaccine procurement. He said President Duterte would not allow any irregularity to happen in such purchase of the life-saving drug.

"Sa corruption, medyo malabo 'yun. Unang-una, hindi papayag si presidente diyan. Sibak ka agad diyan (On corruption, that's unlikely. First of all, the President will not allow it. You'll get fired immediately)," he said.

The government has secured millions of vaccines doses from Novavax, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca, with the initial supply expected to be delivered next month. An additional 20 million doses will be obtained from the US-based Moderna to help protect Filipinos from the coronavirus.