Govt wants more money for vaccines!

‘Senators demand transparency’

THE DUTERTE government is again asking for an additional P25 billion for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines on top of the existing P82.5-billion appropriations for vaccines this year.

Now, Senator Panfilo Lacson is demanding transparency from the government over the supposed need for an additional P25 billion. He said with so much funds for the procurement of vaccines, it could result in an oversupply or worse, be lost to corruption. 

“Based on the arithmetic I did, the P107.5 billion is way too much for buying the vaccines needed to achieve herd immunity – unless they know something we don’t. But the bottom line is, it is not their money, it’s the public. I can only hope the excess amount will not go to corruption,” he said. 

“More importantly, has the government made a commitment to procure the vaccines at such prices? It is important that the officials concerned explain how they will spend the amount. If they have not committed to buy yet, they should exercise restraint in spending our resources which are severely limited already due to the pandemic,” he added.

Lacson explained that if the P107.5 billion were to be used to buy Moderna vaccines at P1,383 per dose, it would buy 83.78 million doses. And if the amount, he added, were to buy the Chinese Sinovac vaccines at P683 per dose, it would be enough for 157 million doses and good for more than 75 million Filipinos which is over the targeted 70 million people to attain herd immunity.

“Hindi sa nagbibintang tayo pero nag-iingat tayo. Pera nating lahat yan, hindi nila pera yan,” he said.

Senator Francis Pangilinan also questioned the additional funding and wants the Senate to reconvene as a Committee of the Whole to resume its oversight hearings on the government’s vaccination rollout and ascertain the need for the added fund being sought by Budget Secretary Wendell Avisado.

“Kailangang busisiin ang mungkahi na ito at nang maliwanagan ang publiko sa dagdag na gastos. Bakit kulang ang kasalukuyang budget? Saan napupunta ang pang-gastos? Maraming mga katanungan kung kaya dapat ay magkaroong muli ng Senate Committee of the Whole hearing tungkol dito,” Pangilinan said.

The Senate Committee of the Whole convened early this year to probe the government's Covid-19 vaccination plan following a privilege speech delivered by Pangilinan in December.

He said it is once again time to check on the progress of the vaccine roll out. “We wrote to the Senate President about this matter last March and he said that he is open to reconvening. We hope we can do so even while in sine die adjournment so we can take necessary steps to further improve our vaccine roll-out,” Pangilinan said.

Other signatories to the letter are Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, Risa Hontiveros, Leila De Lima, and Nancy Binay.

Avisado said President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the release of an additional P2.5 billion from the 2021 contingency fund for the procurement of four million doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

The Department of Budget and Management has already released P59.39 billion of the P70-billion budget of the Department of Health for vaccine procurement.

“We need to be clarified on the current disbursements and spending that's why it's important to convene the Senate Committee of the Whole. Nag-iisa lang ang layunin natin dito kung paano pa mas mapapabilis ang vaccine roll-out para maabot ang ating mga kababayan,” Pangilinan said.

Lacson previously noted the Duterte government’s penchant for borrowing, but not always with the corresponding results. He said that while borrowing may be necessary for the economy, the government has yet to show results of the trillions of pesos it has borrowed over the years.

The country continues to sink in debts as the government trumpeted fresh loans running into billions of pesos to fund the purchases of Covid vaccines and other responses to the pandemic.

Duterte had already borrowed billions of pesos since 2016 after winning the election, for his ambitious Build, Build, Build infrastructure projects and dole outs to poor families across the country.

Earlier this year, the Duterte administration also borrowed money from Japan further sinking the country in debts.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said this loan support from Japan equivalent to approximately P4.67 billion or US$91.79 million will help cover the funding needed to help families get back on their feet and rebuild communities following the destruction left by typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses in October and November last year.

This recent disbursement brings to 20 billion yen, about P9.33 billion or US$183.58 million, the loans released so far by Japan to the Philippines. The Philippines now has over P10 trillion in debts and the increase in foreign and domestic borrowings heightened the last four years. (Mindanao Examiner)

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