Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26) ─ A lawmaker warns funds intended for COVID-19 booster shots in the proposed 2022 budget may be affected if state revenues fall short.
“En caso po na hindi natin makamit ang growth na expected at hindi natin makamit ang revenue collection na expected, ang isa sa pinakamatatamaan ay ang COVID-19 vaccines…bakit natin nilagay sa unprogrammed ang COVID-19 vaccine na may halagang ₱45 billion?” Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo said during a House panel hearing.
[Translation: In case we don’t achieve the expected growth and revenue collection, COVID-19 vaccines will be among those affected. Why did we put COVID-19 vaccines under unprogrammed (appropriations) amounting to ₱45 billion?]
Quimbo was referring to the ₱45 billion assigned by the government for purchasing booster shots for all Filipinos in the proposed ₱5.024-trillion budget for 2022.
The lawmaker asked during her interpellation whether unprogrammed appropriations would be affected first should collected revenues fail to meet expectations if lockdowns were to make a return in 2022.
“Yes. Theoretically because that means lesser collections would mean lesser amounts to generate under windfall…effectively, that will be the one most affected initially,” Budget Undersecretary and officer-in-charge Tina Marie Canda responded.
Items under unprogrammed appropriations can only be financed if revenue collections exceed targets, and when additional grants or foreign funds are generated.
The economy plunged by 9.6% in 2020 as the Philippines dealt with strict lockdowns amid the coronavirus crisis. The government also encountered difficulties in raking in taxes and customs duties last year as quarantine restrictions forced businesses to go dark, and individuals out of work.
Canda clarified that the ₱45-billion fund was assigned “in the absence of any definitive ruling from the IATF or DOH that it is a requirement at this point.”
“Hindi po namin siya binigyan dahil hindi pa nga po namin sigurado kung talagang kailangan yan dahil wala naman pong assurance na kailangan po ‘yun,” she said.
[Translation: We didn’t give them (booster shots) any because we weren’t sure if they will be required, as there’s no assurance they will be needed.]
Quimbo, meanwhile, lamented the “chicken-or-egg situation” they’re faced with, given the possible impact of revenues falling short on funding for vaccines.
She noted that COVID-19 vaccines are key to the country’s economic recovery. Economic managers frequently cite a faster, more efficient vaccine rollout as one of the strategies to further help the economy bounce back.
Health officials and experts still do not recommend the use of booster shots in the country, calling instead for the vaccination of as many people as possible – especially the most vulnerable.
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