President Rodrigo Duterte has certified a bill seeking to expedite funds for people who will suffer from the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines as urgent.
The proposed measure will also authorize local governments to directly buy the shots from manufacturers, an official said on Thursday.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said that the President certified the following bills as urgent:
- Senate Bill No. 2057, which seeks to establish an indemnification fund and allow local government units to procure vaccines and make advance payments
- House Bill No. 8648 authorizing local governments to buy coronavirus vaccines directly from manufacturers without public bidding
A bill certified as urgent allows lawmakers to pass a bill without the three-day prescribed period before voting for it.
The Philippines has yet to roll out its COVID-19 vaccination plans after delays brought by the government’s agreement with Pfizer.
On Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that there is no definitive yet on the arrival of the first 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
This comes following the delay of its arrival which was tentatively set last February 15.
“Wala pa po tayo naririnig na balita,” Roque said in a PTV 4 interview.
“Dahil ‘yan po ay ipapadala sa pamamagitan ng eroplano. Ang inaasahan natin ay magbibigay notisiya ang Pfizer sa atin kung naisakay na yang shipment na yan sa eroplano galing sa Brussels papunta ng Pilipinas,” he added.
