Gov’t needs budget OK in getting access to COVID vaccines – Nograles

The country has covered all bases in getting access to potential coronavirus vaccines but will need the approval of the proposed 2021 national budget for the funding allocation, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.

Nograles said the government’s budget proposal for next year includes the allocation for the procurement of the life-saving vaccines for the coronavirus.

"Ang tanong may pambayad ba tayo. Iba yung access, iba ang pambayad so kaya nga worried din tayo at nag-aalala tayo sa budget na 2021 (The question is do we have the budget to pay for the vaccines. Access is different from budget for payment. So we are worried about the 2021 national budget),” Roque said during a forum on Facebook page.

"Ayaw natin mabulilyaso yan at magkanda-leche-leche ang budget na yan dahil nakapaloob sa 2021 budget 'yung nakapaloob na pondo para sa vaccines (We don't want the budget measure botched or bungled because the 2021 budget includes the funds for the vaccines)," he added.

If the new spending plan is not passed on time, Nograles said the government will be compelled to operate on a reenacted budget, which does not include any budget item for vaccine purchase. He said the government would have to look for other funding sources to buy the vaccines.

President Duterte has called on Congress to convene a special session on October 13 to 16 to resume the deliberations on the proposed ₱4.506-trillion national budget for next year and avoid delays on its passage. The budget measure, which carries the theme “Reset, Rebound, and Recover: Investing for Resiliency and Sustainability," has also been certified as urgent by the President to facilitate its swift congressional approval.

Under the budget bill, the government has proposed an initial ₱2.5 billion for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.