Robredo Camp Slams Vaccine Budget For Lacking Details On Procurement
ROBREDO CAMP SLAMS VACCINE BUDGET – As 2020 draws to a close, countries around the world prepare to procure the new coronavirus vaccines.
Currently, the leading name in the vaccine race, Pfizer and BioNTech, began the distribution of their vaccines in the U.K. Meanwhile, for the Philippines, it was expected that the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac, would be prioritized on quarter 1 of 2021.
However, according to Barry Gutierrez, Spokesman for the OVP, the government should’ve focused on next year’s vaccine budget. “Walang sense of urgency”, Guiterrez stated during the OVP’s weekly radio program.
Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate Finance Committee said that the executive branch has yet to disclose information regarding procurement of the vaccine.
With the new year coming closer, countries such as the U.S. prepared plans to procure, store, and distribute the vaccine. However, according to Angara, the government has yet to give details regarding the logistics of the vaccine distribution.
As such, Gutierrez, much like Senator Franklin Drilon, raised concerns about lawmakers’ lack of planning regarding the COVID-19 vaccination program next year. According to an article from ABS-CBN, Gutierrez then said:
So hindi ba dapat, priority natin itong bakuna? Kaya nga nakakagulat na hindi. Ito nga, iyong sinasabi ni Senator Frank Drilon na parang hindi—kahit nakalagay iyan sa budget, P72 billion, eh hindi pa klaro saan kukunin iyang pera na iyan
Additionally, Gutierrez emphasized the Philippines still had a P10 trillion peso debt. Along with this, he added that loans to procure the vaccine may bloat the country’s existing debt.
As of now, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. noted that the Philippines may roll-out vaccines in the middle of 2021. Furthermore, he noted that this was due to the “scarcity of supply” in the global market.
Like this article? READ ALSO: Is Philippines Prioritized For Vaccine? Analysts Breakdown Vaccine Priority
