NATIONWIDE ROUND-UP

FDA pushed to hasten permits for local vaccine makers

THE ANTI-RED Tape Authority (ARTA) will meet with the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among other government agencies, to speed up the processing of permits for local vaccine manufacturers. ARTA Director General Jeremiah B. Belgica, in a press release on Monday, said the Health and Trade departments as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission will also be asked to help streamline government procedures. “(Ito ay) para ho makita natin on how could we attract itong mga local manufacturers na magkaroon po ng kanilang sariling manufacturing plant for vaccines (This is to see how we could attract local manufacturers to set up their own plants for vaccines),” Mr. Belgica said. President Rodrigo R. Duterte supported faster permit processing after Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez last week said the firms eyeing domestic vaccine manufacturing will need quick processing and government procurement priority. Mr. Lopez named four firms that are considering local vaccine manufacturing, including United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab), which has confirmed it would work on manufacturing a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine locally. The fill-and-finish plant, in which active ingredients are imported for local packaging, could start operations by 2023. Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara has said some of the companies are planning to start manufacturing vaccines that are already “well established” such as those that help prevent measles and rubella, before making COVID-19 vaccines when clinical trials are done. Mr. Belgica said in Filipino that ARTA will continuously focus on the FDA and other agencies involved in the processing of permits for these manufacturers of vaccines and other essential medicines. —

BPO sector pushes for inclusion in vaccination priority list

WORKERS in business processing outsourcing (BPO) companies, which are among the sectors allowed to continue operating even during strict lockdowns, called on the government to include them in the priority groups for coronavirus vaccination. In a statement on Monday, the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) said they are concerned over their non-inclusion in the A4 vaccination priority group, which includes workers who are considered as “economic frontliners.” BIEN President Mylene Cabalona said in a statement, “The BPO industry remained operational, from the onset of the pandemic until now at the height of another surge of infection. Workers have been braving the risks of the health crisis and rendering continuous service to support our clients as well as contribute to the economy.” She said the non-inclusion of the 1.3 million BPO workers in the upper tier of the vaccination program is a “blatant” disregard to the services the industry, which generated $26.3 billion last year, a slight contraction from the previous year due to the pandemic. “We appeal to the Department of Health and the IATF-EID to duly recognize BPO workers as economic front liners and therefore essential workers, by including us in the A4 priority group,” she said.

JUDICIARY

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) has launched an online registration platform for members of the judiciary who are in the A4 vaccination priority list. “All judges and court personnel of the first and second level courts who wish to be inoculated under Priority Group A4 of the Judiciary should submit their names and other personal information no later than 22 April 2021 to the Office of the Court Administrator,” the high court said. SC Chief Public Information Officer Brian Keith F. Hosaka said “around 30,000… permanent, coterminous, and casual employees of the Judiciary” are eligible to receive the vaccine. —

Delay in SSS rate hike among bills pending President’s signature

A TOTAL of 55 bills were passed into law during the second regular session of the 18th Congress, data from the Senate released on Monday showed, while seven measures are awaiting the President’s approval. Among those pending at President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s table is the bill giving him authority to defer the scheduled increases in the contribution rate of the Social Security System (SSS) for up to a year during a declared national emergency or state of calamity. The measures that were signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte include laws to address the pandemic and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) that cuts corporate income tax rates. Also passed into law were Republic Act 11521, which strengthens the Anti-Money Laundering Law, and RA 11506 that granted San Miguel Aerocity, Inc. a franchise to construct and maintain a domestic and international airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. Meanwhile, 67 bills are pending for second reading approval in the Senate, including the three economic bills easing foreign restrictions on businesses that were certified by the President as urgent. Congress is currently on session break and will resume on May 17 for the second regular session, which will adjourn on June 5. —