FINANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said as many as 204 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines could be delivered this year.
In the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday on the government’s Covid-19 vaccination program, Dominguez told senators on Tuesday that the government is already assured of at least 149.83 million doses through binding term sheets and supply agreements backed by the country’s foreign loans, the regular budget and donations from other countries and the Covax facility.
“Out of this number, more than 12.7 million has so far been delivered to the Philippines,” Dominguez reported.
However, this represents so far only 13.54 percent of the P149.83 million doses.
The finance chief said it was estimated that 44 million doses will be donated by Covax to the Philippines.
Moreover, Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi had also announced on Tuesday morning that they will also be donating Astrazeneca vaccines to some countries, including the Philippines.
“We have not yet been officially informed of the number of doses that are going to be donated by Japan,” Dominguez said.
The 149.83 million vaccine doses will then be complemented by the 24.9 million doses of vaccines procured by local governments and private sector groups, according to the DOF chief.
On top of this, around 30 million doses are in the pipeline for negotiation, according to Dominguez. This, he said, “will bring our indicative total of vaccines to about 174.7 million doses. Adding those in the pipeline, the vaccine deliveries could reach more than 204 million doses this year.”
The total budget for the procurement of vaccines amounted to P88.6 billion, enough to procure about 148 million doses and inoculate at least 70 million Filipinos or 100 percent of the adult population, he said.
However, Dominguez said the government needs another P85 billion to cover the vaccine doses for children aged 12 to 17 (P60 billion) and the booster shots for 85 million adults and teenagers (P25 billion).
“The proposal is to include such supplemental amounts in the 2022 budget,” he said.
Of the P88.6-billion funding, P57.3 billion are sourced through loans from World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; P10 billion from Bayanihan 2; P3.26 billion from other sources in the 2021 national budget and Bayanihan 2; P2.5 billion from the 2021 budget of the Department of Health.
Up to P12.7 billion will also come from other financing sources as may be necessary, while the P2.8 billion are from the contingency funds.
In the same hearing, Dominguez also disclosed that the government procured vaccines at prices ranging from $6.75 per dose (roughly P324.36) to as much as $27.59 (roughly P1,325.8) per dose. However, he stopped short of identifying the specific cost per brand, citing the government’s nondisclosure agreements with pharmaceutical firms.
So far, the government has procured three Covid-19 vaccine brands: Sinovac, Moderna and Sputnik V.
Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Joven, who heads the DOF’s International Finance Group, also said the government has so far paid a total of P16 billion or $336 million for Covid-19 vaccines.
Of the amount, Joven said P11.61 billion or $243.25 million was paid through the multilateral financing secured by the government while around $93 million (or roughly P4.39 billion) was paid through the national budget.
Oversight by lawmakers
The Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) on Tuesday held its second round of hearings into the national vaccination program, focusing on, among others, the status of the Covid-19 jabs rollout and the funding, as well as the urgent needs of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW) with financial and time burdens as a result of “confusing” health protocols.
At the start of the hearing, Senate President Vicente Sotto III urged authorities to lay down clearer quarantine and testing rules that are science-based and do not waste the money and time of OFWs, who he said, do not return just for leisure, but “are directly affected by the ever-changing and lengthy travel and quarantine protocols.”
At the end of the marathon hearing, Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said the hearing at least made it clear that “there is no need for the P25-billion supplemental budget this year,” referring to the amount recently mentioned by some Executive officials, on top of the P85-billion sum allotted for the 2021 vaccine purchase.
Drilon got the clarification that the P25 billion is being sought for 2022, so, he said, if ever, that could be discussed “sometime in September” when full-blown discussions are slated for the 2022 budget measure.
Drilon lamented, meanwhile, that, “the disbursement is very slow, delaying our economic recovery.” He warned that, “unmanageable national debt may be the biggest headache and challenge of the next administration.”
Asked what he saw as takeaway from the hearing, Sotto said, “partly, the important thing is we are appraised with how the vaccination program is getting along. Also, IATF is informed on suggestions from the Senate and LGUs.” With Butch Fernandez
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