Senator Christopher "Bong" Go maintained on Saturday, March 20, that the government's vaccination program is not delayed and that authorities are "simply" making sure that processes are complied with and are aligned with negotiations.
"There is no delay in our vaccine rollout. We are simply complying with the necessary processes, aligned with the agreed schedule, as negotiated with our international partners," Go, President's Duterte's long-time aide and close ally, said in his statement.
"Taliwas ito sa mga haka-haka ng iilang grupo na nais lamang siraan ang gobyerno at magkalat ng maling impormasyon (This is contrary to the claims of some groups who only wanted to malign the government and spread wrong information)," he added.
Go told government critics that pointing fingers "do not help" in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate health committee chairman that despite the limited supply of coronavirus vaccines, the Philippines "has so far managed to secure ample amount of doses to be used for our people."
He cited the announcement of the vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. about the 1.4 million additional doses of Sinovac vaccines that is expected to arrive next week.
Of the amount, 400,000 were additional donation from the Chinese government, while one million were purchased by the Philippines.
"We also expect anytime soon the arrival of 979,200 AstraZeneca doses, in addition to 525,600 earlier received through the COVAX Facility. The steady supply of vaccines will provide us with more than 3.5 million doses enough to inoculate our 1.7 million healthcare workers towards the second quarter of 2021," he added.
Go is also upbeat about the delivery of more vaccines after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Russian-made Sputnik V for emergency use.
"Team Philippines is and will remain focused on our goal of achieving herd immunity and lead our people towards full recovery," he said.
He reiterated his appeal to people to get vaccinated and follow health protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19.