Zubiri defends bill allowing LGUs to directly purchase Covid-19 vaccine

Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri on Friday defended his bill exempting local government units from procurement rules and allowing them to directly purchase Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturers.

“Senate Bill 2042 is not going to give LGUs precedence over the national government in terms of vaccine procurement. National government pa rin ang masusunod—LGUs still need to follow the national guidelines for vaccine deployment set by the Department of Health and the National Task Force against Covid-19,” he said.

So no one should fear inequitable distribution. Whether through the national government or the LGUs, our frontliners will still be prioritized for vaccination,” Zubiri explained.

“The vaccines purchased by LGUs will augment the supply of the national government. LGUS who will not be able to purchase vaccines on their own will still be covered by the national government vaccine roll out,” he said.

Zubiri made the statement in response to the opposition of the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC), which warned that the bill could result in maldistribution of the vaccines and higher prices.

“This bill was requested by all our LGUs. Around 70 local government units are in negotiations with vaccine suppliers and they need to deposit advance payments to secure them,” he said.

“Otherwise, we will lose the allocation. They are requesting that they also be exempted from the requirement of purchasing of goods and services from suppliers with the lowest bid. This is not possible with the Covid-19 vaccine as it is supply-driven. It is impossible because the lowest price is not always available,” he explained.

“And let me stress again, this bill was requested by our LGUs, and it will only apply to our LGUs with tripartite agreements. So people do not need to worry about private entities taking advantage of this bill,” Zubiri said.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)