Dispatch from Crame No. 1052:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement re: slow vaccine rollout, ending tripartite agreement

The number of positive cases continue to rise even after more than a year of the pandemic. Hospitals are once again overwhelmed that they are no longer able to accomodate new patients. And there are reports of people who expired while waiting for medical attention.

May mga kababayan tayo na umaabot sa walo hanggang sampung ospital ang napuntahan bago ma-admit, habang sa kasawiang palad, ang iba ay napipilitang umuwi na lang ng bahay. This is the unfortunate reality of our country's struggle against COVID-19.

Pero ang mas masaklap, hanggang ngayon, dahil sa kawalan ng maayos na plano at palpak na implementasyon, napakabagal ng pag-usad ng bakuna, na kung nagawa lang nang matino at maagap ay hindi tayo aabot sa ganito na namang kalalang sitwasyon.

Patuloy ang tanong ng sambayanan: Nasaan na ang bakuna?

Since the Duterte regime has proven its incompetence in its failure to secure timely vaccines for Filipinos, there is an urgent need to revisit the vaccination campaign, change the tripartite agreements that cause a bottleneck, and allow the private sector to directly import vaccines without the Duterte-brand red tape.

R.A. 11525 allows private companies to buy their vaccines but only under this tripartite agreement. Private entities need to have first IATF's approval to purchase vaccines. But as we have seen since, IATF is demanding the private companies donate half of their purchase to the government while raising prices of the vaccine. Not only is this making vaccines practically unavailable to already distressed companies, this regime is also using access to vaccine a political tool for patronage politics and influence peddling.

Buhay ang nakasalalay sa mabilisang pagpapabakuna, at kung ang gobyerno mismo ang nagpapabagal dito, anong silbi pa ng pakikialam nila? Kinailangan ba ng tripartite agreement sa pagbibigay ng Emergency Use Authorization para sa RT-PCR kits, antigen kits?

Maraming pwedeng pagkaabalahan at pagtuunan ng pansin ang IATF, kaysa pagpapabagal lang sa dating ng bakuna. Una, talamak ang smuggling ng bakuna. Hindi pa natin nakakalimutan kung paano sinuhulan ang mga PSG ni Duterte gamit ang smuggled at ilegal na bakuna. Pangalawa, may black market ng bakuna kung saan nagbibili at nabibili ang mga bakunang legal at ilegal na inangkat. At nangyayari ito dahil sa kabagalan ni Duterte sa pagkuha at pamamamahagi ng bakuna.

Kung imbes na pahirapan ang pribadong sektor na makakuha ng bakuna ay payagan natin silang tumulong ay mas marami tayong mababakunahan bago maging huli na ang lahat para sa marami nating kababayan. Panahon na siguro para bawasan nila Duque at Duterte ang pamumulitika at red tape para man lang sa ikabubuti ng ating bansa.

We need to step up our vaccination campaign and we need to work with our private sector. Only then can we even hope for anything close to acceptable accomplishment in our fight against COVID-19.

Bawat araw ng kapalpakan, may buhay na nasasayang.

(Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 1052 here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatchno1052)