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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Villanueva demands transparency in PH's P82.5-B vaccine purchases

Villanueva demands transparency in PH's P82.5-B vaccine purchases

Published Jun 14, 2021 04:29 pm

Senator Joel Villanueva on Monday, June 14, appealed for more transparency on Philippine government's vaccine procurement, particularly the prices of vaccine doses, especially that the executive department is requesting for an additional P25 billion to finance the program.

Senator Joel Villanueva (Senate of the Philippines)

Villanueva issued the appeal ahead of the Senate Committee of the Whole's inquiry on the national COVID-19 vaccination program set for Tuesday, June 15.

Among other issues, the chamber will look into how the government is spending the P82.5-billion total appropriations for the vaccine rollout.

“Magkano po ba ang Moderna? Magkano ang Sinovac, ang Sputnik? Ang Pfizer? Then we multiply it with the volume required, plus the cost of administering them. Getting this information is the first step in appropriating funds (How much are Moderna vaccines? Sinovac? Sputnik? Pfizer?” he asked.

"Hindi po akma ang ‘PM is the key,’ pagdating sa usaping ito (The usual 'Personal Message is the key' won't work in this situation)," he added.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the government needs P25 billion for the vaccine rollout on top of the P82.5 billion appropriated under the 2021 national budget and Bayanihan to Recover as One or Bayanihan 2 law.

Villanueva, however, said DBM must first report if the current appropriations under existing laws and from loans have been used up.

“The rule is that they must report first before we replenish," said the legislator.

Further, Villanueva said he wanted to know the cost of vaccines per dose and the total amount required to achieve herd immunity against the novel coronavirus.

If securing vaccines requires prepayment, then the government should adopt a “multi-year budgeting approach, and not rely on annualized financing," he said.

“What is important is that we have a big picture of our amortization schedule, so to speak. Hindi po pwede yung pa-tingi-tingi. Hindi rin po nakaasa sa kalendaryo na sa isang fiscal year ito lang ang pondo (It cannot be in installments. We cannot limit the funds within a certain fiscal year),” he proposed.

The senator also sought to ensure the immediate and timely delivery of the vaccines purchased by the government.

Related Tags

joel villanueva covid-19 vaccine rollout pandemic response covid-19 vaccine
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