The business sector is asking the government to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination because they are already in the “last phase,” stressing that adding six months or one year more of quarantine would mean closures of most enterprises to the detriment of more Filipinos, especially the poor.
This was pointed out by Henry Lim Bon Liong, president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), during the virtual “Pandesal Forum”.
“Talagang last phase na kame and if we will do six months or another year of quarantine most firms will shutdown,” Lim pointed out reiterating the business sector and Socio-Economic Planning Acting Secretary Karl Kedrick Chua’s call for the further reopening of the domestic economy.
According to Lim, extending the quarantine would mean banana barbecue vendors losing their livelihoods. “Sometimes it is difficult they say we (businessmen) are heartless because we value the economy more than human lives, but look at the greater picture. We have to look at entire sectors, we have to compromise and follow physical distancing and wearing of face masks,” he said as he warned of more deaths if the economy continues to spiral.
Lim even urged to accelerate the signing of the tripartite memorandum of understanding with government for their 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines that they donated for their economic frontliners. He stressed the critical role of economic frontliners, who are working with the micro, small and medium enterprises.
In additiion, Lim has urged the government to do away with the waivers on senior citizens wanting to get Sinovac vaccines, which is not recommended for 60 years old and above individuals in the Philippines but are not restricted to age in other countries. He said that most business leaders are seniors, like him, and are still very much active in business.
Lim pointed this out as Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles, also one of the guests at the forum, said that economic workers are expected to get vaccines in the third quarter yet of this year. He also said that the Philippines has already reserved as much as 160 million doses of various brands of COVID-19 vaccines, which are expected to be delivered within the year, to attain herd immunity or 70 million Filipinos inoculated in 2021.
Nograles also said the quarantine status is reviewed on a monthly basis. The Inter Agency Task Force and the technical working group and experts review the data and assess the situation in the last week of March and recommend to the President for the quarantine status in April. The IATF had recommended the economic cluster’s recommendation for further reopening for the month of March, but President Duterte turned this down saying that unless there are 2 million Filipinos getting vaccines, there will no shift of the current general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila and nearby provinces into the more relaxed modified GCQ.
Nograles, however, said that with the arrival of vaccines, there could be 2 million Filipinos getting vaccinated in the first quarter already.
“By end of March we have 2 million doses minimum enough for us to complete our medical and health frontliners so by second quarter we will be in the senior citizen rollout,” he said. In addition, he said that Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. is talking to Gamaleya and Novavax supply that may cover the the seniors and the indigent population. By the third quarter, he said, supplies from the private sector order via the tripartite agreement with the national government, local government units and pharmaceutical firms are expected to come in already.
This means, he said, the bulk of supplies will be coming in the third and fourth quarters that will cover the Group B, including the workforce including the FFFCCII.
Nograles has urged businessmen to follow the list of priorities so as not disrupt the flow of the process because that is the list approved by the World Health Organization.
On the waiver for seniors, Nograles said that the experts and the Food and Drug Administration are just following the processes and if there are new information the experts may agree to seniors getting the Sinovac vaccines.
Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said he would sign the waiver just he could get inoculated.
In the list of priorities, senior citizens and those with morbidity would be the next to get vaccines after the medical and health frontliners and uniformed personnel or the military. Workers will fall under Group C, which vaccination may start in the third quarter of this year yet.