Amb. Romualdez: Maybe I can share the blame on 'bungled' Pfizer deal

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez admitted that perhaps he could share the blame for the delay in the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer due to the failure to submit the required Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) on time.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview on Sunday, Romualdez said he could have called Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to submit the CDA right away.

"Sinasabi ko nga maybe I can share the blame kung ano ang nangyari. Dapat nga tinawagan ko na mismo si Sec. Duque," he said.

"Puwede kong sabihin na 'Secretary, kailangan na nating pirmahan muna 'yan para puwede natin masabi,'" he added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier revealed that the failure of Duque to submit the CDA cost the Philippines a delivery of 10 million COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer by January 2021.

He added that the country representative of Pfizer was even following up on the submission of such documentary requirement.

Romualdez explained that the CDA is needed to assure Pfizer that the government procuring vaccine doses would not share the technology behind its development.

He, nevertheless, said the procurement of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is still on track.

"Moderna has the same technology even if we don't get the Pfizer ahead. Pero ang sabi naman sa akin ni Sec. [Carlito] Galvez, kausap pa rin naman nila ang Pfizer. Hindi naman nila tayo iniwanan e. Na-delay lang," Romualdez said.

"At the end of the day, puwede nating sabihin na may kasalanan pero wala tayong magagawa. Ang nangyari ay hindi natin alam gaano kabilis ang lakad ng process dito," he added.

Duque, in defending himself, earlier said the Department of Health cannot sign the CDA on behalf of the national government, prompting him, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to sign the CDA separately.

“When you go through a process, you cannot just be hurrying up things just like that. You have to be prudent and cautious especially because you are talking about a novel vaccine,” Duque said in a television interview on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will give his best try to help the Philippines get back into the Pfizer vaccine deal, even just a fraction of the 10 million doses. —KG, GMA News