NARARAPAT lamang na malaman ng mga frontliners ,na nagbubuwis ng kanilang buhay sa nagpapatuloy na coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, ang detalye ng kabuuang vaccination plano ng pamahalaan — ’if there is one,’ pahayag ni Senador Panfilo M. Lacson nitong Lunes.
“Do we have a clear vaccination plan? Based on our conversations with doctors and frontliners, it appears we don’t. But frontliners are waiting to know when they would be prioritized in the vaccination program,” aniya sa unang public hearing ng Senate Committee of the Whole.
“The frontliners deserve to know because they are the ones who go to the morgues, they are the ones who attend to COVID patients. They deserve to know if they would be prioritized in the vaccination program. There is no reason for the officials concerned to ask for an executive session on this because there is nothing confidential or classified about it. Wala namang kalaban dito; ang kalaban natin dito, sakit. Hindi naman yan sasagot,” dagdag pa niya.
Giit ni Lacson, nais niyang maliwanagan sa “dropping the ball” ng pamahalaan sa dalawang oportunidad nang makakukuha n asana ito ng bakuna mula sa US-based Pfizer at China-based Sinopharm.
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Sa dalawang kaso, aniya, sa huli ay hindi nakapaglaan ng bakuna ang dalawang kumpanya para sa Pilipinas dahil hindi naging mabilis ang aksiyon ng Health Secretary sa kanila.
Nabanggit din ng senador, ang impormasyon na sa kaso ng Sinopharm, na may alok na pumasok sa isang joint venture katuwang ang mga Philippine pharmaceutical na kumpanya upang magsagawa ng clinical trials, research at technology transfer, upang maaaring magawa ang bakuna sa Pilipinas.
“Mukhang hindi natugunan yan kaya di natuloy yan,” diin pa ni Lacson.
Ang malala pa rito, ang kawalan ng aksiyon aniya ay nagpalutang sa espekulasyon na may ilan sa pamahalaan na “waiting” pabor sa ibang branda, ang Sinovac.
“Why did we miss at least two opportunities to procure vaccines? We had set aside more than P70 billion for vaccines for 2021, and we have entered into loans for the purpose, so the money is available. The problem is that someone dropped the ball on the paperwork. Now, even Bangladesh is ahead of us as far as getting vaccines is concerned,” tanong pa ng senador.
“At least 25 Filipinos die and 1,300 are infected by COVID every day. There should be a sense of urgency. But why are we not seeing it?” aniya pa.
-Mario Casayuran
