WITH P126.75 billion in approved international loans as early as last year, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson yesterday said COVID-19 vaccines bought by the government from pharmaceutical companies should have started to arrive earlier and the national vaccination program already in full swing by this time.
In a media interview, Lacson said: “As culled from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank records and further articulated in a series of official statements from the Department of Finance, we may now have some P126.75 billion in approved loans for COVID vaccines, but the question remains: Where are the vaccines?”
Lacson said what have so far arrived are the vaccines donated by China and the COVAX Facility.
“My question now is, where are the vaccines bought by the government? The government keeps on saying we have no problem in securing loans. But up to now we still don’t have the procured vaccines. So, there must be lapses somewhere,” Lacson said.
The country has initially received 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines which were donated by China. This was followed by the two batches of delivery of AstraZeneca – 487,000 doses for the first batch, and 38,400 doses for the second batch.
“I hope they would tell us the truth (about the vaccines). So long as the concerned authorities do not recognize the problem (that there are lapses), we cannot come up with a solution. They should give us a lowdown,” he said.
Citing pronouncements made by the DOF, Lacson said the government was able to get the following loans from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: $100 million approved on April 20, 2020; $500 million on May 28, 2020; $600 million on December 16, 2020; another $500 million on March 12 this year; and $700 million approved on separate occasions also this month.
On top of the loans, Lacson said the government also has a standby fund of P10 billion under the Bayanihan 2 Act specifically for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.
All told, he said the available amount would be P126.75 billion.
Lacson said he was not asking where the funds from the loans have been spent since the DOF has explained during the Senate hearings that the money from the loans can only go to the intended purpose or straight to the suppliers.
He said he was more interested on knowing the status of the vaccination procurement.
“The Filipino people deserve a lowdown from the government on the situation,” he stressed.
He added that while the DOF has been quick to secure the loans, government agencies tasked to procure the vaccines did not move as fast.
“The DOF should be commended for having the foresight in taking the initiative to negotiate for the loans much ahead of time. However, no matter how efficient the DOF team is, why did the other team not act early?” he asked.
He said if the government cannot keep its promises on the vaccination rollout, it should instead stop from giving Filipinos false hopes.
“It would be better if our authorities refrain from giving such statements because it is government’s credibility that suffers and the people will doubt them all the more because they know when they are being taken for a ride,” Lacson said.
Likewise, the senator urged the government to treat the private sector as partners in its vaccination program and ease strict procurement regulations so they can deal directly with the vaccine manufacturers.
“The problem lies with the concerned agencies in charge. Even the private sector and eventually the LGUs (local government units), not having the patience to wait for government action, took it upon themselves to procure vaccine for their employees, even offering 50 percent of their vaccine purchase to the government… Instead of treating them as partners and assisting them, government regulated and controlled everything by requiring them to go through government procurement,” Lacson said.
“The government should treat the private sector as a partner and not as a competitor in the procurement of the much-needed vaccines,” he also said.
At the same time, Lacson expressed hope, no matter how improbable the claims of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., that inoculations could go up to 450,000 a day starting April.
“Let’s make this happen and I will spearhead the adoption of a Senate resolution hailing those in charge of the country’s vaccination program as modern-day heroes,” he said in a separate tweet.
