Philippines to review laws banning private firms from procuring COVID-19 vaccines

The Philippines will review laws supposedly banning the private sector from acquiring COVID-19 vaccines, with only donations coming into the country so far and the nation the last in the Southeast Asian region to receive vaccine shipments.

In a virtual briefing on Sunday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. was asked to respond to online posts indicating that several private sectors, such as local tobacco firms, are being banned from procuring COVID-19 vaccines.

"Pag-aaralan po 'yan. I think there are existing laws kasi that provide the legal basis para dito sa pagbabawal, pero dito sa panahon ng pandemya lahat naman po 'yan puwedeng repasuhin," he said.

"Sa panahon ng pandemya lahat po 'yan ay susuriin at rerepasuhin dahil mas maraming bakuna ang mapaparating natin, mas mabut para sa ating bayan. This will be discussed not only in the IATF but all the branches of government," added Roque.

Several posts have been circulating online, claiming that private firms were in talks to procure COVID-19 vaccines but have since been banned by the government from doing so.

There have also been some claiming that the government requires the private sector to donate at least half of their vaccines to the government, but Roque did not discuss this during Sunday's briefing.

The Philippines is the last country in the ASEAN region to start its vaccination program against COVID-19 after legal vaccines were injected into the public last week.

Last year vaccines were acquired for members of the military, specifically the Presidential Security Group, as confirmed by President Rodrigo Duterte. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has maintained that such shipments were absent of the EUA and were therefore smuggled.

The government targets to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos this year, but only 1.1 million doses have arrived in the country so far, all of which have been donations. Those procured have yet to be received. — DVM, GMA News