Bill expediting purchase, administration of COVID-19 jabs reaches Senate plenary

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to expedite the procurement and administration of Covid-19 vaccines in the country reached the Senate floor on Tuesday for plenary deliberations.

Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate finance committee, endorsed the swift plenary approval of Senate Bill No. 2057 or the proposed Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021.

The measure was contained under Committee Report No. 185, which 20 senators have signed. The bill is a consolidation of measures filed by several proposals seeking to fast-track the government’s inoculation program.

To expedite the purchase and administration of vaccines, the bill authorizes the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (or NTF) to “undertake negotiated procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and the ancillary supplies and services for their storage, transport, and distribution,” Angara said in sponsoring the bill.

The measure also allows local government units (LGUs) to make an advance payment of not more than 50 percent of the contract price “if required by the supplier, manufacturer, distributor, contractor or consultant.”

Under the bill, LGUs are only allowed to purchase vaccines and supplies for up to 50 percent of their target population.

The 50 percent cap may be adjusted by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases depending on the supply, according to Angara.

Further, the bill requires procuring LGUs to prioritize frontline health workers, senior citizens, and indigent persons.

“They will also be required to exercise utmost transparency and report any supply or purchase agreement into which they have entered,” Angara said.

LGUs can also use their available resources for the purchase of vaccines and supplies, according to the bill.

“While there is roughly P82.5 billion that has been appropriated in 2021 for our national immunization program against Covid-19, we are adding more to this fund by allowing LGUs to use whatever resources they have to purchase vaccines and the related supplies,” the senator said.

Angara then cited a survey and study conducted by the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), which showed that 70 LGUs are prepared to spend over a total of P13 billion to purchase and administer vaccines.

“With revenues down, we will need as much cash as we can to procure and administer vaccines expeditiously,” he said.

“By allowing LGUs to take an active part in the procurement of vaccines, we also increase the volumes that we are purchasing, which in turn would allow the national government, particularly the office of Vaccine Czar Sec. Charlie Galvez, to negotiate for more affordable prices,” he added.

Meanwhile, the measure exempts purchases of Covid-19 vaccines and necessary supplies for their storage, transport and distribution from customs duties, value-added tax, excise tax, donor’s tax, and other fees and charges.

A special task group will also be composed under the bill. This will be composed of medical and vaccine experts, who will conduct post-vaccination monitoring of patients, said Angara.

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