SENATE minority leader Franklin Drilon yesterday asked government to disclose the prices of COVID-19 vaccines it bought and submit to the Senate all vaccine supply agreements entered it entered into with foreign vaccine manufacturers.
Drilon made the call on the eve of a hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, and its use of the P82.5-billion budget for vaccine procurement.
He told Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 and vaccine czar, they can no longer invoke the non-disclosure agreement when a supply agreement has already been signed.
Government officials have invoked the non-disclosure agreement in refusing to make public the vaccine prices.
“Hindi na ito (This is no longer) confidential… These are public records,” Drilon said.
NTF deputy chief and testing czar Vivencio Dizon said the government will present its data on vaccine spending and deliveries to the Senate today.
Drilon said he is open to the government’s request for additional funds for vaccine procurement but said the government has to make a full accounting of the P82.5-billion vaccine budget before asking for more funds. The government recently said it may need additional P25 billion this year to buy more vaccines and another P55 billion next year for “booster shots.”
In a report submitted to the Senate, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said the government is able to secure about 147 million doses from vaccine manufactures and the COVAX Facility. This is on top of some 24.9 million doses procured by the private sector and local government units, and a million doses donated by the Chinese government. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
