MANILA, Philippines — Through separate resolutions, two senators urged government to allow local government units (LGUs) and the private sector to purchase their own Covid-19 vaccines for their constituents, employees, as well as dependents.
At present, LGUs may buy Covid-19 vaccines but only through tripartite agreements with the drug manufacturers and the national government.
But Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, in Senate Resolution No. 617 that he filed Wednesday, said, allowing the LGUs and the private sector to procure their own vaccines is “a regulatory matter which may be temporarily allowed during a pandemic or a state of national health emergency.”
“Allowing the LGUs and the private sector to procure their own vaccines will prevent the spread of the disease and hasten the efforts to further open up the economy which in effect will restore and create more jobs for the people,” he added.
If allowed, Recto said, the LGUs and the private sector may only procure vaccines that have acquired emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The vaccines must also comply with the documentary, procedural and reportorial requirements of the Department of Health, FDA DOH, and other national government agencies, Recto also said in the resolution.
Senator Imee Marcos made a similar call in Senate Resolution No. 615 she filed Monday.
In her resolution, Marcos pointed out that the FDA has already granted Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine an EAU, “clearing the way” for its use in the Philippines.
“As of today, there has yet to be a clear roadmap as to how every Filipino can be vaccinated. However, the decision of the FDA would mean that the Pfizer vaccine can be distributed to Fiiipinos in a matter of weeks, with health and pandemic officials targeting an initial rollout by the end of February 2021,” she said.
“A clear, proper, and immediate vaccination program for Filipinos will significantly help and assist the government in its fight against COVID-19 to a large segment of the Philippine population,” Marcos further said.