STATEMENT OF SEN. BONG GO

I laud President Duterte's immediate action in certifying as an urgent measure Senate Bill No. 2057 under Committee Report No. 185, entitled "An Act Expediting the Procurement and Administration of Vaccines for the Protection Against COVID-19, Providing Funds Thereof, and for Other Purposes".

Kasama rin po dito ang provisions creating the Vaccine Indemnification Fund. Ang panukalang ito ay para mas mapabilis ang pagkuha natin ng sapat, ligtas, at epektibong mga bakuna para sa mga Pilipino, at ang indemnity fund naman na nakasaad rin dito ay para maging mas handa tayo sa kung meron mang hindi kanais-nais na epekto sa tao ang paggamit ng COVID-19 vaccine.

Importante na maisabatas ito sa lalong madaling panahon dahil malaking parte ito ng ating National COVID-19 Vaccine Roadmap upang tuloy-tuloy na ang pag-roll-out ng mga bakuna sa ating bansa.

Patuloy na nagtutulungan ang Executive at ang Legislative branches para gawin ang lahat ng kailangan upang malampasan ang krisis na ito at matulungan ang ating mga kababayan na makabangon muli.

I also laud the President for issuing a Memorandum Order granting authority to the National Task Force against COVID-19 and the Department of Health to make advance payments exceeding 15% of the total contract amount in procuring the vaccines.

With this Memorandum Order, LGUs allowed to procure COVID-19 vaccines under existing laws and issuances may make advance payments even exceeding the 15% limit provided they are authorized to do so by the chief implementer. Indeed, LGUs are capacitated under this Memorandum Order to procure COVID-19 vaccines to supplement the national government's COVID-19 vaccination program.

Ang panawagan ko po sa mga ahensya at mga LGUs, siguraduhing nagagamit ng wasto ang pondo ng taumbayan. The President has always emphasized that while we are expediting the rollout of vaccines, we must always exercise due diligence and consider the best interests of our people. Especially in times of crisis, every single peso counts.

Nagkausap po kami ni Pangulong Duterte, Secretary Galvez, Secretary Duque at FDA Director General Eric Domingo kanina. Napag-usapan namin, bagamat nagmamadali na po ang ating Pangulo sa pagbili ng mga bakuna, pero pinaalala niya na dapat siguraduhing safe at effective po itong mga vaccines na binibili po ng gobyerno ngayon.

It is important that we continue to strengthen further mechanisms towards a whole-of-nation approach in addressing the challenges of the pandemic and uplifting the lives of the people. The combined bayanihan efforts of the national government, LGUs, and private sector are crucial towards our full recovery. Maraming salamat po.