Slow delivery of PH Red Cross-procured Moderna jabs piques Gordon

Sen. Richard Gordon (Screen grab/ Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman and Senator Richard Gordon on Friday aired exasperation over the slow delivery of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses procured by the humanitarian organization.

“Yung binili namin, ‘di pa dumarating sa amin. Talagang nakakainis talaga. Gusto ko na nga bawiin yung pera namin because nakatengga yung pera do’n. $5 million plus yun kung ‘di ako nagkakamali,” Gordon said in an online forum hosted by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

(Those we procured, we have yet to receive. It’s really annoying. I was considering withdrawing our payment because it’s been idle there. If I’m not mistaken, we paid $5 million-plus.)

The PRC earlier ordered a total of 200,000 doses of Moderna’s anti-COVID shot as part of its push to intensify vaccination in the country.

It will be charging P3,500 for two doses to recover the cost spent by the humanitarian group to buy the jabs.

READ: PH Red Cross to offer Moderna’s COVID-19 jab for P3,500 per 2 doses – chairman

So far, the PRC has received 3,000 doses of Moderna’s jab, according to Gordon.

“Yung iba ‘di pa dumarating…Don’t blame us kasi wala naman kaming magagawa dun,” he said.

(The other doses are still not here…Don’t blame us because we can’t do anything about it.)

“Ag latest [na sinabi] sakin, darating daw by late August. Pang-second tranche,” he added.

(The latest information that I got was that the second tranche would arrive by late August.)

The third batch, the PRC chairman said, will likely arrive by September or until the latter part of December.

“Yung Moderna na binili ng Red Cross iba yan sa binibigay ng gobyerno na Moderna. Nagbigay ang ibang gobyerno sa Philippine government ng Moderna. Pati kami nabigyan,” Gordon, meanwhile, said.

(The Moderna bought by the Red Cross is different from the one allocated to us by the government. Other governments donated some Moderna to the Philippine government.)

“In fact, yung binigay sa amin na Moderna, reserved yun para sa mga aalis na seamen in two months saka yung aalis na OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) in two months,” he added.

(In fact, the Moderna given to us is reserved for seamen and other OFWs leaving in two months.)

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Reservations

Gordon said those who have reserved Moderna doses procured by the PRC can cancel their reservation if their respective local government unit has already vaccinated them.

“Kung makakakuha kayo ng iba, ‘di magpa-vaccinate na kayo at aalisin namin kayo sa reservation,” he said.

(If you can already avail of others then get vaccinated and we will remove you from the reservation list.)

“And believe me, ang daming nakapila na gustong kunin yung [slot ng] magka-cancel. Gusto nila Moderna,” he added.

(And believe me, a lot are in line waiting for the slot of those who will cancel. They want Moderna.)

Those who plan to cancel their reservation can send an email to [email protected].

“It would be nice if you say ‘ayoko na’ para [I no longer want it so that] we will formally tell you ‘we’re taking you out of the list’,” Gordon said.

“Pero kung gusto niyo talagang maghintay ng [But to those who are willing to wait for] Moderna, it will be there for you,” Gordon added.