Senator Juan Edgardo ‘’Sonny’’ M. Angara on Thursday, February 11, assured swift action by the Senate on a bill seeking to expedite the purchase and administration of COVID-19 vaccines by local government units (LGUs) by exempting them from the strict requirements of Republic Act 9184. or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Angara, as chairman of the Committee on Finance, led the hearing on Senate Bill 2042 filed by Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, which would facilitate the procurement of vaccines by interested LGUs in the coming weeks and months.
“Alam natin na mahalaga ang ginagampanan na tungkulin ng ating mga LGUs lalo na sa ating kampanya laban sa COVID-19. Kaya maasahan ng ehekutibo na mabilis na aaksyunan ng kongreso ang panukalang batas na ito. (We know the important role of LGUs plays in the fight against COVID-19. The Executive Branch is assured that Congress would act on this bill.)” Angara said.
The bill was widely supported by the LGUs, as well as the National Task Force Against COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Finance (DOF) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), among others.
With the proposed law, Zubiri explained that the LGUs would no longer have to purchase vaccines from the lowest bidder as required by the law.
“May mga bakuna naman available na medyo mas mahal ng kaunti pero readily available na by the second or early third quarter. Time is of the element dito,” Zubiri said. (There are vaccines that are available that have slightly high price tags and are readily available but are only ready on the second and third quarter of the year.)
National Task Force (NTF) chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the bill would “greatly affect the expeditious acquisition of our needed vaccines.”
Galvez said some 27 million vaccine doses have been purchased so far by the private sector and the LGUs.
He disclosed that a memorandum is currently being drafted for President Duterte to certify the bill as urgent.
“Ang mga LGU naka pirma na ngayon, pati na kami sa tripartite agreement and it will really help us because it will give us legal cover for us to pursue yung nagawa na (if done) tripartite agreement,” Galvez said.(The LGUs have signed this, including us in the Executive).)
Quirino Governor and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) president Dakila Cua said the proposed law would provide the LGUs with some peace of mind in undertaking the purchase of vaccines for their constituents as it would provide them with “solid legal footing.”
On the part of Health Secretary Francisco Duque, he said the DOH “welcomes measures such as this that empower our LGUs in our fight against COVID-19.”