Supply agreements for COVID-19 vaccines may be signed by end-February —Angara

Supply agreements for the Philippines' procurement of COVID-19 vaccines may be signed by the end of February, Senator Sonny Angara said on Wednesday.

Angara made the remark as he sponsored Senate Bill 2057 expediting the purchase and administration of COVID-19 vaccines and establishing a P500-million indemnification fund.

During his interpellation, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked Angara if there were already signed supply agreements for the COVID-19 vaccines.

These agreements would essentially ensure the delivery of the vaccines to the country.

Angara, upon conferring with government officials concerned with procurement present during the interpellation, told Drilon that there are still no signed supply agreements.

"I've been told that the term sheets or the offers are binding until the end of February. So we have until the end of February to close these agreements," Angara said.

Drilon proceeded to ask if that meant the supply agreements would be signed by the end of February.

"Yes, we will have a few by the end of February," Angara replied.

Last week, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said they were still finalizing the supply agreement with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers Sinovac, Novavax, and Moderna.

What he has signed so far is a "term sheet" for 50,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines expected to arrive on February 20, while they are arranging the same document for the donated 600,000 doses of the same vaccine coming on February 23.

The term sheets, Galvez said, will push through "until we finish the supply agreement."

"We have some sort of an agreement that we have already locked the supply. There is already a commitment to have the supply agreement discussed within this week or next week," he said.

Senate Bill 2057 seeks to authorize the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) to undertake negotiated procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and the ancillary supplies and services for their storage, transport, and distribution.

It also allows local government units to purchase COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies and services in cooperation with the DOH and NTF through multiparty agreements.

A P500-million COVID-19 National Indemnity Fund will also be established under the measure and will only be used to compensate any inoculated person who will experience severe adverse effect or worse death.

Galvez has been calling on Congress to pass an indemnification law, which he said is required by the COVAX facility, a globally-pooled vaccine procurement and distribution effort, for the delivery of vaccines.

Angara, however, pointed out that the purpose of the measure is not solely to provide an indemnification provision as required by vaccine manufacturers.

I think one of the moving forces behind this measure is the comfort level of the LGUs also who have already entered into supply agreements given the local government code provision which disallows advanced purchases. They are worried although they have already contracted and perhaps these are already perfected and would be due and demandable going forward, they are afraid of legal repercussions," he said.

"It's not just the indemnity fund which should motivate us or which should be the moving force of the bill, but also helping out our local government units," he added.

The Philippines targets to inoculate 50 to 70 million individuals within the year, and an estimated 50,000 is expected to be vaccinated this month. — BM, GMA News