The House of Representatives would allocate P50 million of its internal budget to buy COVID-19 vaccines for their employees and their five immediate relatives.
House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco announced it during a media forum on Wednesday.
“We’ve decided that for the normalcy of business in Congress, we’ve decided to set aside a certain amount for the vaccines, for purchasing of vaccines for our employees times five,” Velasco said.
“So five of their immediate family members will be included, mainly because we want the legislative mill to be grinding,” he added.
Velasco said that members of the House media and their five immediate family members were also included in the Congress’ COVID-19 vaccination program.
“Naisip ko rin na ang ating media friends who’s also considered as our family. So we’ll include our media friends in the vaccines,” he said.
The House Speaker said the House members would be vaccinated after the employees and the media have been vaccinated.
“We’ll start to get the vaccines first for the employees and the media and their families. And kung may natira, then that’s the time we use them for the House members and also five of the immediate members of their family,” he added.
House to allocate P50M for vaccines of employees and their families
Earlier, vaccine czar and National Task Force Chief Implementor Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines is eyeing AztraZeneca from the United Kingdom, Sinovac from China, and Pfizer US.
Velasco said they are eyeing to give either AztraZeneca or Sinovac for the House’s COVID-19 immunization program.
Other local government units also allocated an additional budget for their city’s vaccination programs.
The Quezon City government approved its P1 billion for its COVID-19 vaccination program this December.
The local government created “Task Force ‘Vax to Normal: The Quezon City COVID-19 Vaccine Plan” to lead the city’s vaccination program.
Meanwhile, Manila City’s local government prepared an additional P1.1 billion budget for its own COVID-19 vaccination program for 2021, Mayor Isko Moreno announced on Tuesday.
Moreno told CNN Philippines that Manila LGU would realign its infrastructure budget for its COVID-19 immunization program.