The House Committees on Trade and Industry and on Health, chaired by Rep. John Reynald Tiangco (Lone District, Navotas City) and by Rep. Angelina Tan M.D. (4th District, Quezon), respectively, held a joint briefing on Wednesday, with the Department of Health (DOH) and with the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
Subject of the briefing was the status of implementation of Republic Act 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021. In his opening remarks, Tiangco said the meeting sought to shed light on the : 1) respective responsibilities of government agencies, local government units, and private entities; 2) timelines set for the procurement and administration of vaccines ; and 3) identification of the priority list as well as the guarantee of vaccine procurement transparency.
Meanwhile, Tan underscored that Congress must focus on ensuring the extensive and speedy implementation of the program, promoting expanded risk-based COVID-19 testing, as well as intensifying isolation and quarantine facilities. Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. reported that a total of 1,562,563 doses have been administered as of April 20, 2021, making the Philippines 4th in the vaccination rollout among Southeast Asian nations. Galvez added that the P82.5-billion vaccination budget for 2021 consists of loans with multilateral financial institutions, assumed savings, DOH appropriations, and Bayanihan 2 funds.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje assured legislators that the government is beefing up its medical personnel and closely coordinating with the private sector to improve the efficiency of inoculation sites, especially as more vaccines will arrive in June.
Tiangco also stressed the importance of the private sector not only in reinforcing the program, but also in reinvigorating the country’s economy. For his part, Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo cited that six vaccines were already granted their Emergency Use Authorization, which are BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Coronavac, Covaxin, and Janssen.
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