MANILA – Private sectors are still required to enter into a tripartite agreement with the national government to purchase coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, the Malacañang clarified on Tuesday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said there are no changes in the way private firms can procure vaccines but President Rodrigo Duterte ordered vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to speed up the process.
“Let me clarify. The importation will be subject to a tripartite agreement,” Roque said. “The available COVID-19 vaccines were only issued an emergency use authorization and cannot be sold commercially.”
“The directive of the President is to speed up the process [of procurement]. He said there should be no delay to avoid creating a perception that the government is controlling the procurement,” he added.
As stated in the newly passed COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act, Roque also stressed that the government will shoulder the indemnity of those who will experience any adverse effects of the vaccines.
On Monday, Dutere tasked Galvez to “sign any and all documents that would allow the private sector to import at will” regardless of how many doses they wanted to procure.
Private firms have been urging the government weeks ago to allow them to directly import and buy COVID-19 vaccines from accredited sources without restrictions or conditions./PN
