Photo Release

Let LGUs purchase vaccines directly: Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino raises the need for the government to come up with a policy that would allow local government units (LGUs) to purchase COVID-19 vaccines directly without the need to enter into a tripartite agreement. Tolentino, during the continuation of the marathon hybrid session deliberating on the proposed 2022 national budget, noted that even if LGUs wanted to implement mandatory inoculation in their locality and have money to purchase vaccines, they cannot directly procure them because of the tripartite agreement requirement. “While the LGUs have the necessary wherewithal to purchase, they don’t have the power. They have to go through this maze involving the Department of Health, the vaccination czar and others,” Tolentino said Wednesday, November 17, 2021. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)