Commit to vaccination date, Hontiveros tells NTF

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday said the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) should commit to a vaccination timeline first before making public statements signaling its “fear of commitment” to the vaccination rollout.

In a statement, Hontiveros said the longer the delays in the rollout is costing people their jobs and making more people hungrier.

“People will have to face tremendous suffering in the pandemic for even longer… Tigilan ng NTF ang kanilang fear of commitment sa vaccination rollout because it is costing us jobs and is making the people hungrier,” she said.

Hontiveros likened the NTF’s dilly-dallying on the dates of delivery of vaccines and inoculation to playing darts.

“Para lang silang nagda-darts ng dates sa kalendaryo, bahala na lang kung saan tumama. Magkaroon naman sana sila ng accountability sa mga ina-announce nila. Itong atras-abante ng NTF ay di nakakadagdag sa kumpiyansa ng publiko. The only thing they are achieving at this point is confusing the public,” the senator added.

Hontiveros likewise said that the government should stop using the impending arrival of the Chinese-donated Sinovac vaccines to “cover their shortcomings” everytime a date for the vaccine rollout is moved.

“Every time the date for the vaccine rollout is moved, they add that we shouldn’t worry because Sinovac is coming. Parang ginagamit nila ang mga ireregalong bakuna bilang panakip-butas sa mga pagkukulang nila,” Hontiveros said.

“Not only is that donated supply completely insufficient, and the date for its arrival delayed as well time and time again, but we can’t even use it yet because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for it,” the senator added.

Hontiveros also said the vaccination program was “clearly not off to a good start,” adding that the major stumbles of the NTF could have been avoided with due diligence.

“I hate to hear that they keep on using the lack of global supply as an excuse when Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, also developing countries, have already begun their vaccination program with Pfizer and AstraZeneca,” Hontiveros said.

“Those are the same brands of vaccines we were supposed to have received by now. Ang ibig sabihin lang nito ay nasa atin ang problema. NTF should acknowledge that so that slipups don’t happen again,” the senator said.

EDV