Hontiveros seeks probe on unused, expired COVID-19 jabs: ‘Dapat may managot’

FILE PHOTO: Senator Risa Hontiveros. INQUIRER FIL:ES

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution calling for an investigation into recent reports of unused and expired COVID-19 vaccines worth around P5 billion to P13 billion.

“Noong August 1, nag-file tayo ng resolution para imbestigahan itong mga balita tungkol sa mga hindi nagamit at expired na COVID-19 vaccines. This large-scale wastage should never be tolerated,” she said in a press conference at the Senate on Wednesday.

(On August 1, we filed a resolution to investigate these reports on the unused and expired COVID-19 vaccines. This large-scale wastage should never be tolerated.)

Although she acknowledged that some vaccines are inevitably unused due to various reasons, Hontiveros still lamented this wastage in vaccines and government funds, especially since COVID-19 cases in the country are on the rise again.

The resolution, according to Hontiveros, aims to find out which part of the acquisition and distribution process of COVID-19 vaccines resulted in this wastage.

“Ang bottom-line, Sayang ang pera o supply, kanino man iyan. Kasi pinagtrabahuhan natin ang pondo na iyan. Tapos, ang ending, itatapon lang pala,” she said.

(The bottom line is money or supply was wasted. These funds, no matter whom it belongs, were still acquired through hard work. And now, it’s going to be thrown away.)

The opposition lawmaker then pointed out that the funds wasted from these unused and expired COVID-19 vaccines could have been allocated instead to other sectors that need aid from the government, including farmers, fisherfolk, drivers, and frontliners.

“Palaging inaanunsyo na ang dami-dami na nating bakuna, pero hindi naman sa procurement natatapos ang kwento. Baka naman may oversupply na tayo kaya may hindi nagagamit at nasasayang. Huwag naman sanang ipangalandakan na dinaig pa nila si Asyong Aksaya. Dapat may managot dito,” she said.

(They always announce that we have a lot of available vaccines, but the story doesn’t end in procurement. Perhaps we have an oversupply of vaccines, and that’s why we have some that are left unused and wasted. They shouldn’t be too proud of beating Asyong Aksaya with this large-scale wastage. Someone needs to be held accountable.)

If the said resolution is adopted in the Senate, Hontiveros said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Health, and COVID-19 czars are among those that need to be questioned in the investigation.

It could be recalled that a total of 4.2 million doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines procured by the private sector expired, resulting in the loss of about P5.1 billion.

READ: 3.6 million COVID-19 vax doses now expired; 632,000 doses to expire soon — Concepcion

In April, former Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also fumed over the then-unused and near-expiring COVID-19 vaccines worth P13.5 billion that were acquired by the government.

READ: Drilon slams DOH, IATF over 27M unused vaccine doses

KGA