Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 29) — Vice President Leni Robredo has called out the national government to not delay its tripartite agreements with local government units for vaccine procurement amid the spike in new COVID-19 infections.
“Pirmahan na… Sana hindi na pahirapan,” she said on Sunday during her weekly radio show.
[Translation: Sign them already… Let’s not give the LGUs a hard time.]
Robredo said local-level leaders still hope the national government will ink the tripartite deals to secure more vaccines in their respective areas. For instance, Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla urged top officials to allow LGUs to buy their own vaccines amid limited supply from the national government.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. previously said pharmaceutical firms have decided to no longer entertain multi-party agreements (MPAs)—which excluded LGUs from procurement talks.
READ: Galvez bares some vaccine brands shun tripartite deals, opt to sign with govt only
Galvez, who also heads the National Task Force Against COVID-19, cited the reasons for putting the deals on hold:
– Moderna and AstraZeneca are not accepting vaccine orders through MPAs for the time being;
– Novavax vaccine has yet to receive Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration;
– Sinovac, Pfizer and Sputnik V intend to prioritize the orders of the national government given current supply constraints;
– Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN has yet to secure approval from the Health Technology Assessment Council and the Philippine government is concerned about “potential overpricing issues on the aforesaid vaccine”
– Johnson & Johnson is currently not open to MPAs
The NTF official said LGUs must deal with the fact that vaccine manufacturers have no capacity yet to produce the needed doses for all countries.
During a televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte last week, Galvez said the government was not delaying the MPAs.
However, Robredo sees these as “excuses”, stressing they “have no sense of urgency” despite the current COVID-19 situation.
She said LGUs have already earmarked funds for COVID-19 vaccines since last year.
RELATED: LIST: LGUs allot funds for COVID-19 vaccination
In January, the Philippine government, about 300 firms, and 39 LGUs signed a tripartite agreement for 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.
Galvez said half of the 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine procured by the local governments and the private sector will arrive this year, while the rest will be delivered next year.
The vaccine czar earlier appealed to the LGUs to be more patient while the task force ensures that COVID-19 shots are being distributed as equitably as possible.
But Robredo said that while the capital region continues to be flooded with vaccines, many provinces are still in need of more supplies.
“Isipin natin ‘yung transmission ay hindi lang sa Metro Manila, all over na,” she said.
[Translation: We should think that the transmission is happening not just in Metro Manila, it’s now all over the country.]
