Hontiveros: Marcos must boost COVID vaccinations; Dela Rosa: gov’t not at fault

Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Risa Hontiveros (Photo by Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Cabinet officials must step in to boost the country’s COVID-19 immunization program amid reported vaccine wastage, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Monday.

However, for Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the government cannot be blamed for the wastage.

Department of Health (DOH) figures earlier showed that some 31 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, amounting to around P15.6 billion, have been wasted.

Although the vaccine wastage rate continues to increase, Hontiveros said that “efforts to curb it have been ineffective so far.”

“Wala tayong luxury na magtapon ng mas mataas pa sa P15.6 bilyon sa kaliwa’t kanang krisis at demand for funding of equally important government programs,” the opposition senator said in a statement.

(We do not have the luxury of throwing more than P15.6 billion amid the crises and demand for funding of equally important government programs.)

“More importantly, the President and entire cabinet should step in to ensure an accelerated vaccination program. After all, their policies create the public perception that the pandemic is over kaya mas nakakampante ang mga kababayan nating huwag magpabakuna at magpa-booster,” she went on.

(After all, their policies create the public perception that the pandemic is over, which is why the public became complacent and did not opt for vaccines and boosters.)

The DOH, the senator said, knows the vaccine wastage drivers. Therefore, she trusts that the agency can ramp up its efforts to lower wastage.

Public awareness

Meanwhile, dela Rosa raised that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines must be promoted.

“Siguro, we have to educate the public, more on public awareness para sa kabutihan ng vaccines. Siguro, i-promote natin ‘yan,” he told reporters in an interview.

(Maybe, we have to educate the public more on public awareness of the benefits of vaccines. We may have to promote that.)

The government, Dela Rosa stressed, is not to blame for the matter.

“We cannot blame the government naman also for preparing for that dahil alam naman natin talaga na agawan ng vaccines. Agawan ‘yun. ‘Di mo masabi bakit nag-oversupply or nag-over-procurement,” he explained.

(We cannot blame the government for preparing for that because there is challenging to procure vaccines. We cannot say why there is an oversupply or over-procurement.)

“We cannot say that kasi kung talagang ginamit ‘yan pero factor in talaga naman natin ang attitude ng ibang Pilipino na ayaw magpabakuna,” the cop-turned-senator pointed out.

(We cannot say that because there is a factor that some Filipinos do not want to get vaccinated.)

As of November 17, there are 73.6 million Filipinos who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Out of the number, 20.8 million received a booster dose.

JMS/abc