The national government ensured that poor local government units (LGU) would get COVID-19 vaccines for their residents, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday.
“Hindi naman tayo totally reliant sa LGU na kung matandaan natin sa 2021 budget may malaking pondo ang nilaan ng Kongreso for vaccine procurement. Gusto ko lang i-emphasize na itong procurement ng LGU e augmentation lang po ito whether or not may pondo ang LGU, may national vaccination program ang ating pamahalaan,” DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said over ABS-CBN Teleradyo.
(We are not totally reliant on the LGU because if we remember in the 2021 budget, Congress has allocated large funds for vaccine procurement. I just want to emphasize that this procurement of the LGU is just an augmentation of whether or not the LGU has funds, our government has a national vaccination program.)
“Walang dapat ikabahala ang maliliit at mga mahihirap na mga LGU kasi whether or not mayroong po silang pambili ng bakuna, bibilhan sila ng bakuna ng national governemnt. Ang iroroll out ng national government ang bakunang dumaan sa vaccine expert panel at ito ay aprubado ng Food and Drug Administration,” Malaya, also the DILG’s spokesman, added.
National gov’t to provide vaccines for poor LGUs – DILG
(There is nothing for poor and small LGUs to worry about because whether or not they have funds to buy vaccines, the national government will buy vaccines for them. The national government will buy vaccines that underwent a process from the vaccine expert panel and that is approved by the FDA.)
Meanwhile, Filipinos do not need to choose which COVID-19 vaccine brand they want since all of them will be on “equal footing” once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants them emergency use authorization, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.
“Basta nabigyan na ng EUA ng FDA (Food and Drug Administration), equal footing na po ‘yan. Pare-pareho na po silang safe at epektibo. Hindi po kailangan mamili,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Vergeire made the remark after Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Filipinos who would avail of free COVID-19 vaccines from the government should not be “picky” when it comes to what brand they would receive.
The DOH official said the FDA would ensure that all COVID-19 vaccines that pass through it are safe and effective.