Private sector need not donate vaccines to gov't, ECOP chief says

Except for one brand, the private sector does not need to donate to the government a portion of the COVID-19 vaccines they would procure.

In an interview with "Dobol B TV" on Sunday, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said private companies can already procure vaccines through a tripartite agreement with the government and vaccine manufacturers, and there is no need to donate to the government anymore.

"Noong una yun e, in-impose nila yun, ido-donate mo pa sa gobyerno," he said.

[That's what they were imposing before, that part of the vaccines to be procured would be donated to the government.]

He added, [now there are companies that procure directly from manufacturers but would still go through the tripartite agreement, but the donation is not required anymore.]

"May mga umo-order ngayon na diretso na, pero dadaan pa rin doon sa tripartite, pero wala nang donation."

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion confirmed to GMA News Online on Sunday that there is no need for the private sector to donate the vaccines they would procure to the government, but only for some brands.

"For Moderna, Novavax, and Covaxin, which we are also helping under Go Negosyo Dose of Hope, no need to donate," he said in a text message.

However, the supply agreement for AstraZeneca, which requires the private sector to pay for the vaccines and donate half of the supply to the government, still stands, Concepcion said.

"In the case of AstraZeneca, [they] had a no profit program this is why a dose was at $5. We wanted to help the government medical frontliners and this is how we crafted the first tripartite agreement. And yes, it (still) stands," he added.

The private sector earlier allocated some P120 million to procure 450,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19, half of which will be donated to the government and inoculated to individuals to be chosen by the administration.

Currently, the Vaccination Program Act of 2021, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed last month, allows private entities, in cooperation with the Department of Health and the National Task Force Against COVID-19, to purchase vaccines for their own use through a multiparty agreement.

However, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s largest business organization, earlier called on the government to allow the private sector to import and buy COVID-19 vaccines directly from accredited sources without restrictions or conditions amid the surge of new infections.

“We urge the government to allow the private sector to import vaccines without restrictions or conditions so we could move quickly and efficiently in vaccinating more people,” PCCI president Benedicto Yujuico said in a statement.

He added that the government should speed up the procurement and rollout of vaccines "to ensure the safety of our workers and people, improve consumer confidence and hasten the recovery of our economy." —LBG, GMA News