‘We’re not doing poorly,’ says Sotto on COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III. Senate PRIB file photo / Henzberg Austria

MANILA, Philippines — While the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program leaves “much to be desired,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the country is “not doing poorly” in inoculating its citizens.

“The rollout that they are doing right now, considering the amount that is available to us and the rollout that is happening on the ground, I would say that on the scale of one to 10, they’re going from seven to eight,” Sotto said in an INQside Look interview.

“It’s fine, there’s much to be desired…I think based on the hearing and I have expressed it fully I think that we need more adjustments, we need more improvements, but we’re not doing poorly,” he added.

On Tuesday, Sotto led the Senate Committee of the Whole in looking into how the government is utilizing the over P80-billion budget allocated for its COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Asked if the chamber will hold another hearing on the matter, Sotto said it would depend on how the government will implement adjustments to improve its inoculation drive.

“If in the next few weeks, we do not see improvements or adjustments, we might have to call for resumption of the hearing,” he said.

As of June 14, the government has administered over 7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to health care workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities and economic frontliners.

At least 10.3 million of the 12.7 million vaccine doses delivered to the Philippines have already been deployed to various vaccination sites in the country, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier told the Senate Committee of the Whole.

Galvez also reported to the Senate that the Philippine government so far has 73 million “assured” COVID-19 vaccine doses while 56 million doses are still under negotiations.

Sotto reiterated the suggestions of some senators for the government to already vaccinate those who are willing.

“We’re looking at the promise of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) that at the third quarter of the year, the government will start to vaccinate the entire, the general population,” the Senate president said.

“Kung sinong available, kung sinong may gusto, vaccinate na natin [Those who are willing, we should vaccinate them already],” he added.

Sotto, meanwhile, underscored the role of local government units (LGUs) in the successful vaccination program of the national government.

“We really need the help of the local government officials, from the top local officials also down to the barangay level, the barangay health workers,” he said.

“That is really the secret to this, kasi kung medyo mabagal ang kilos ng LGU e hindi talaga magiging mabilis yung rollout niyan. Even if the vaccines are available, the cold chain might be broken ‘di ba? Or might not be effectively kept,” he added.

(That is really the secret to this, because if the LGUs move slow, the rollout will not be fast. Even if the vaccines are available, the cold chain may be broken, right? Or might not be effectively kept.)

JPV