Go: Alliance eases vaccine access
The partnership between government and the private sector will hasten the return to normalization from the pandemic through the availability of a potent vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go.
Go also commended the national and local governments and their private sector partners for various contributions in formulating a Philippine National Vaccine Roadmap that will ensure accessibility of a safe and effective vaccine for all Filipinos, most especially for the poor and vulnerable sectors as well as for frontliners including medical workers and teachers.
“As chair of the Senate Committee on Health, my foremost interest is the availability, accessibility, and affordability of vaccines against COVID-19," he noted.
"We will strive to provide the vaccine to the poor and vulnerable sectors for free to allow them to return to normal life,” Go said.
Lives at stake
“We should also assure that vaccines are safe and effective. We should not take chances. Lives of Filipinos are at stake,” he added.
He, however, reminded the government that this must be done in accordance with prevailing laws to ensure that no money is wasted and Filipinos who need help the most are prioritized.
We will strive to provide the vaccine to the poor and vulnerable sectors for free to allow them to return to normal life.
“I have full confidence on Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. as vaccine czar. In the procurement process, we should ensure there is ‘ due diligence’ and correct processes are followed,” he said.
Currently, there are four possible modes of vaccine financing, according to Galvez, namely: direct procurement, multilateral loans, bilateral loans and private sector financing at no cost to the government through a tripartite agreement involving the national government, pharmaceutical company and the private sector.
“The government will also supervise the process undertaken in the development and the purchase of the vaccine to ensure that these are safe and effective while public money is not waster,” he reiterated.
“The President's constant reminder to finance managers headed by Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III is to monitor and review all transactions. Especially in times of crisis, every single peso counts,” he added.
Go also mentioned that a safe and effective vaccine that is accessible and available to all Filipinos plays a crucial role in the country’s path towards recovery from the ongoing pandemic.
“The vaccine plays a special role in the recovery stage. It will be the key for our lives to return to normal. Thus, the vaccine roadmap is extremely important,” he said.