By Fernan Angeles
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the public not to fear COVID-19 because vaccines would soon be available for the Filipinos. However, the President hinted on the idea of borrowing funds to defray its cost.
“Hindi na nakakatakot ang COVID-19. Andito na ang bakuna,” said the President in his taped public address.
The President admitted securing vaccines may not be as easy as it looks even as he claimed that countries which developed vaccines under the final stages of clinical trial are expected to prioritize their residents.
However, Duterte said that the Philippine government is ready and inclined on borrowing funds just to make sure that Filipinos, especially the poor, gets to be prioritized and vaccinated in the soonest possible time.
According to the President, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez has assured him that the Philippine government should be able to secure a 300 million US dollar load to defray its cost.
“Sonny [Dominguez] said he can borrow money of 300 million US dollars. Malaki yun, so makakabili tayo but I think it could do us well to realize and think na uunahin talaga nila yung mga tao nila” said the President who added that the poorest of the poor should not worry about its cost because the government would subsidize it.
He added that those classified under brackets A, B and C could as well pay for their own vaccination.
As this developed, the Department of Health (DOH) is eyeing to secure exemption of COVID-19 vaccines from a provision in the Procurement Law that bans advance payment to ensure quick access to the supply.
“We are bound by the Procurement Law on [prohibition on] advance payment, and we have sought the assistance of the Office of the President for a direction, for a special exemption on not giving advance payment until the orders are here under RA 9184,” Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said at an online forum.
“Many of vaccine manufacturers and other partners we are negotiating with are requiring advance payment kaya ginagawan natin ng paraan na magkaroon ng exemption because of this pandemic,” she added.
The most advanced of all vaccine candidates is the one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been found 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 during Phase 3 of the clinical trials.