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Metro mayors wary of bill allowing LGUs to directly negotiate with vaccine manufacturers

Philippines

Metro mayors wary of bill allowing LGUs to directly negotiate with vaccine manufacturers

By Jean Fernando

Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said that Metro Manila mayors expressed concern about the proposed House Bill in allowing local government units to negotiate directly with vaccine manufacturers for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.

Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez (FACEBOOK/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Olivarez, also the chairman of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), said they will have a position paper and will pass it to the Congress on the proposed House Bill 8648 or the Emergency Vaccine Procurement Act of 2021 filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco which seeks to expedite the purchase and administration of COVID-19 vaccines by allowing localities to directly purchase from manufacturers without going through the process of public bidding.

"Ako po, personally, kasama dapat ang national dito para magkaroon ng tripartite agreement para ang pagdi-distribute ng vaccine, balanse sa lahat (I, personally, national government should be included to have a tripartite agreement for equal distribution of vaccines),"Â Olivarez said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

The mayor said that Metro mayors have a communal view that not only local government units with capacity can buy the vaccines.

"Kawawa ang mga rural areas na walang capacity to purchase, (We feel sorry for the rural areas who have no capacity to purchase)," Olivarez added.

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