A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Vaccine COVID-19” sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The government should make the safest and best COVID-19 vaccine available to every Filipino, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said Tuesday.
“Provide for a 100 percent of the population without even mandating it, but it’s available. Kung gusto nila, pwede silang magpabakuna. Hindi yung 60 percent lang, 70 percent lang. Nagtitipid tayo. Let’s get the best vaccine available. The most effective. The safest. Let’s not say na ‘Ito mas mura ‘to. Mababa effectiveness nito, safety nito pero mas mura ‘to. Ito ang kunin natin.’ I think let’s give the people the best available in the market,” Recto said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
(Provide for 100 percent of the population without even mandating it, but it’s available. If they want to be vaccinated, they can. We should not only target 60 to 70 percent of Filipinos. We’re being too thrifty. Let’s get the best vaccine available. The most effective. The safest. Let’s not say that ‘this is cheaper, it’s not that effective and safe but let’s get this because it’s cheaper.’ I think let’s give the people the best available in the market.)
“Don’t say 60 to 70 percent of the population. Say that all of you, we will vaccinate all of you, walang pilitan (it’s not mandatory) but if you want it, it’s available for you,” he added.
Under the proposed 2021 budget, P2.5 billion is lodged under the Department of Health (DOH) for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines. Another P70 billion is meanwhile placed under unprogrammed appropriations, funding for which will be released depending on the non-tax revenue collection of the government.
National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. previously said that the government hopes to vaccinate 60 to 70 percent of Filipinos against the coronavirus — enough to trigger herd immunity—within three to five years.
But Recto said that would be “too long.”
“That’s too long. I don’t think it should take five years. I think our time should be two years for the whole country,” he said.
“Saying that we will be able to vaccinate our people in three to five years does not provide confidence. Saying we can do it in one to two years will provide confidence,” he added.
The senator also proposed discussions with countries that ordered a number of vaccines beyond their population.
“There are many countries who ordered vaccines more than their population. We can talk to them, pay them back. ‘O yung sobra ninyo sa amin na.’ Like England, they bought a lot of vaccines. Marami diyan sobra ang binili. We can talk to them as well. Maybe we can get a part of it,” he said.
(There are many countries that ordered vaccines more than their population. We can talk to them, pay them back. ‘Can we buy the excess?) Like England, they bought a lot of vaccines. Other countries also ordered too much. We can talk to them as well. Maybe we can get a part of it.)
The Senate is set to hold a Committee of the Whole hearing on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.