Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) President and Quirino Gov. Dax Cua on Thursday thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for allowing local government units (LGUs) to give COVID-19 vaccine suppliers and manufacturers advance 50% payment, and said the move was a big boost for LGUs working to protect their constituents from the COVID-19 virus.
“This is a big help for LGUs that have really stepped up and gone all-out in their efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in their localities,” said Cua, who had earlier written to the President on behalf of ULAP to certify as urgent legislative measures that would allow LGUs to procure vaccines and streamline the procedures for doing so.
“We in ULAP believe that the sooner the majority of our countrymen are vaccinated, the sooner the country’s economy can bounce back and resume its pre-pandemic upward trajectory.”
According to Cua, “this move by the President shows that he recognizes the vital role LGUs play in pandemic response.”
“This empowers and enables us to take the actions necessary to protect our constituents and to be proactive in our country’s war against COVID-19.”
In a letter addressed to the President, Cua requested the Chief Executive to certify as urgent Senate Bill No. 2057 and House Bill No. 8648, measures that seek to pave the way for LGUs to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
Both measures authorize LGUs to make an advance payment of not more than 50% of the contract price if required by COVID-19 suppliers, manufacturers, or distributors; and authorize the Department of Health and the COVID-19 National Task Force to undertake negotiated procurement of vaccines and the ancillary supplies and services for their storage, transport, and distribution.
The proposed laws also allow LGUs to purchase vaccines and supplies for up to 50% of their target population without undergoing the bidding process and with exemption from the payment of taxes and fees, provided the vaccines are “not for commercial distribution; as well as create a 500 million-peso COVID-19 Vaccine Indemnity Fund to be administered by PhilHealth and sourced from the Contingency Fund in the 2021 national budget purposively to cover compensation or medical treatment arising from death or serious adverse effects following inoculation.
“This empowers and enables us to take the actions necessary to protect our constituents and to be proactive in our country’s war against COVID-19.”
The former legislator stressed that “the country is in a race against time.”
“We in ULAP believe that the sooner the majority of our countrymen are vaccinated, the sooner the country’s economy can bounce back and resume its pre-pandemic upward trajectory.”