Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said he supports the efforts of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make Covid-19 vaccines commercially available in the country, but the public should make use of the government’s program offering the jabs for free.
Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said he will continue to remind Filipinos to avail of the government’s provision of a free Covid-19 shots and boosters which the government worked hard to acquire and procure.
“Libre naman ang mga ito mula sa gobyerno na pinaghirapan nating bilhin noon. Para po ito sa lahat ng kwalipikadong Pilipino kaya huwag nating sayangin (The government worked hard to buy these vaccines and these are free. These are available for all qualified Filipinos so let’s not waste the opportunity),” said Go, in a statement on Thursday, Aug. 25.
“Samantalahin niyo na ang libre na mula sa gobyerno kaysa hintayin na magbabayad pa tayo para sa parehong bakuna (Take advantage of the free vaccines from the government instead of waiting to pay for the same vaccines that are offered for free),” Go pointed out.
At the same time, Go urged the FDA to ensure that manufactureres of Covid-19 vaccines that would be made commercially available in the Philippines will go through the evaluation and registration process when they apply for a Certificate of Product Registration (CPR).
“Experts should be able to assess the safety and efficacy of the vaccines before making them commercially available,” the senator said.
“Ang importante ay masigurong ligtas ang mga bakuna para hindi matakot ang ating mga kababayan. Sundin lang ang tamang proseso at huwag pahirapan ang mga mag-aapply sa FDA (It’s very important to ensure the safety of the vaccines so that our people won’t be afraid. Let’s just follow the right process and make it easier for those who would apply before the FDA),” he added.
The FDA recently launched a task force whose primary goal os to make the Covid-19 vaccines commercially available in the country in order “to make it more accessible to Filipinos.”
FDA director general Samuel Zacate said the move aims to help the current Marcos administration shift its focus from the Covid-19 pandemic management to ensuring the recovery of the national economy.