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Manila, Philippines – The country’s “vaccine czar” Secretary Carlito Gálvez Jr. said Malacañang was considering whether to allow local government units (LGUs) to obtain their own supply of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I have raised it [with] President, but we are considering what you have been saying that it should not be that some barangays or towns are left behind because [cannot] afford to buy the vaccine. That is what we will analyze because we do not want [commit] injustice for those people who cannot buy it, ”Gálvez said in Saturday’s online briefing.
He said the government could set a precondition for requiring local governments to administer the vaccine first to front-line doctors, essential workers, as well as vulnerable and poor people.
“What we will do is balance it. We can allow it as long as the [instructions] of our President to prioritize the poor, healthcare workers, our service [employees] and those of the first line could be fulfilled ”, said Gálvez.
Supply concerns
The Puerto Princesa city government previously said it was willing to allocate up to P100 million to buy vaccines for its residents.
Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo urged government officials to focus on the issue of vaccines, noting that Filipinos were becoming more anxious as other countries begin vaccinating their citizens against COVID-19.
“We need to go the extra mile to assure people that the vaccines will arrive,” he said Sunday.
Robredo pointed out that his sister-in-law, a doctor based in the United States, had already been vaccinated.
“When we see people in the [United Kingdom and United States] getting vaccinated, and then there’s nothing here, it just adds to our concerns, “he said.
However, Robredo refused to blame who “dropped the ball” in the Philippines’ allegedly failed attempt to obtain COVID-19 vaccines from US pharmaceutical company Pfizer by January 2021.
Last week, Senator Panfilo Lacson revealed that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III failed to present any documents, causing the Philippines to miss the opportunity to purchase 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine that eventually went to Singapore.
When netizens asked for Duque’s head, Robredo said that he first has to listen to what both parties have to say.
“I don’t want to be unfair because I haven’t heard the whole story yet,” he said. INQ
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