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There is a “compelling legal basis” for government transparency in vaccine procurement despite the country being in a state of public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Integrated Bar Association said Tuesday. From philippines.
IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa joined calls for the government to inform Filipinos about the vaccines they intend to buy, citing provisions of the Constitution and an executive order from President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Transparency is useful for establishing facts, dispelling doubts and suspicions, countering propaganda, minimizing political positions, curbing corruption, promoting accountability, fostering cooperation, and increasing confidence in the governance of our country,” Cayosa said. it’s a statement.
He said that the public disclosure policy on public interest transactions, along with the recognition of people’s right to information, is found in Article II, Section 28, and Article III, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution.
Cayosa said that the Supreme Court interpreted these provisions in the sense that they seek “to promote transparency in the formulation of policies and in government operations, as well as to provide the population with sufficient information to effectively exercise other constitutional rights.”
In addition, he said that Duterte signed an executive order on freedom of information in 2016 that recognizes “a legal presumption in favor of access to information, public records and official records.”
“There is a compelling legal basis for transparency, even under the COVID-19 emergency,” Cayosa said.
“It is good that people know more about COVID-19 vaccines, the decisions that will be made for them and the public funds for them. A well-informed citizenry will ‘heal as one’, better and faster,” he added. .
Government officials in charge of securing COVID-19 vaccines for the Philippines face growing demands for transparency amid questions about the price and effectiveness of the injections they seek to obtain.
Much of the doubt has centered on what critics say is the government’s apparent preference for the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac, whose vaccine was reportedly one of the most expensive among other candidate brands.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque claimed that each dose of the Sinovac product would cost around P650, much lower than the initially reported figure of more than P3,600 for two doses.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said the government is negotiating the “best price.”
But authorities have not disclosed the actual price, citing a confidentiality agreement with the manufacturer.
Lawmakers from both houses of Congress have launched investigations into the matter.—AOL, GMA News
