Tripartite deal in procurement of COVID-19 vaccines ‘unavoidable’

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker on Wednesday said that a tripartite deal between the national government and local government when it comes to purchasing Covid-19 vaccines in pharmaceutical firms is “unavoidable.”

During the interpellation period for House Bill No. 8648, Bukidnon 3rd District Rep. Manuel Zubiri asked Quirino Rep. Junie Cua if LGUs could directly procure vaccines without having to enter into a tripartite deal.

House Bill No. 8648—filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano—aims to allow local government units to buy the vaccines from manufacturers.

“It is unavoidable that this be done through a tripartite, at least,or a multilateral agreement simply because the pharma companies would not want to deal with 1,600 municipalities, 80 plus provinces or for that even barangays, numbering about 44,000, it would be unruly for them and it would be unruly as well for the national government,” Cua then told Zubiri.

Cua is one of the sponsors of the bill.

“So there has to be a mechanism for organizing the purchase here and this can be done through the tripartite agreement through the Department of Health and the National Task Force,” Cua added.

It was on Monday when the House committee on ways and means approved the tax provision of the measure, which lies on Section 6 that states that “the procurement, importation, storage, transport, distribution, and administration of Covid-19 vaccines by the local government units shall be exempt from customs duties, value-added tax, excise tax, and other fees, provided that the vaccines acquired shall only be used for their residents and constituents, and not for commercial distribution.”

READ: House panel OKs tax exemptions for LGUs’ vaccine procurement

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