Drilon likens P72.5-B Covid-19 vaccine budget to unfunded check

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon likened the P72.5 billion earmarked for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines to an unfunded check and reiterated his concerns about the lack of a definite source of funds to immunize around 60 million Filipinos next year.

Drilon said there is uncertainty about how the government can raise at least P70 billion next year for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccine as only P2.5 billion would be guaranteed under the 2021 spending outlay. There is a global race to buy the vaccine, he noted.

The Congress is set to submit to the President the proposed 2021 P4.5 trillion General Appropriations Act. However, only P2.5 billion, out of the P72.5 billion, is funded. The remaining P70 billion is in the unprogrammed fund - the funding for which depends on approved loans or once the government exceeds its non-tax revenues targets, Drilon stressed.

"It is unfortunate that in these uncertain times, the budget is creating additional uncertainty. This makes Filipinos wary about the future," Drilon said.

Drilon reiterated his concerns that there is no definite source of revenue to fund the P70 billion in the unprogrammed fund for the purchase of the vaccine.

"It is like we issue a check without adequate funding. Sana po hindi mag-bounce," Drilon quipped.

"Our health system unfortunately at this stage is a big question mark to me because of the very fluid plans for the acquisition, funding of the vaccine and the logistical expense that goes with it. No definite revenue source is identified, " Drilon said during a Senate session.

"The comfort level is not very high that we can achieve a certain degree of confidence insofar as our public health is concerned. I guess we just have to look up at the sky and pray," he added.

The Senate chief fiscalizer, who had earlier called out the administration for submitting a "business-as-usual" budget, said the 2021 national budget exposes the government's misplaced priorities.

"Talking about misplaced priorities. There is no definite revenue source for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccine but there are P16.4 billion for anti-insurgency and P9.5 billion for confidential and intelligence funds," Drilon lamented.

"There are around 2.7 million Filipino families slipped into poverty due to Covid-19 and, yet, there is no allocation for social amelioration program for next year," he added.

"We do not have a definite source of funds to support the additional P70 billion for the vaccine but we let over P33 billion funds parked and sitting idly in the Philippine International Trading Center (PITC)," said Drilon. He added that the P33 billion, if returned by PITC to the national treasury, will be enough to immunize half of the 60 million Filipinos.

The senator had earlier called for a Senate investigation into the parked funds in the PITC, which prompted Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to request the Department of Budget and Management to recommend to the President the issuance of a directive for the immediate return of the funds to provide funding to the cash-strapped government.

Lastly, the minority leader also lamented how the Filipino people are being kept in the dark about the vaccine rollout.

"Where is the vaccine roadmap? Where's the plan? The lack of a clear roadmap adds to the worries of Filipinos about the future of our country insofar as our ability to fight the pandemic," Drilon said.