Zarate: Duterte remarks on indemnity puts at risk vaccine rollout

Bayan Muna partylist Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte's remarks, seemingly rejecting the government's indemnity for COVID-19 vaccine, could jeopardize the country's already "snail-paced" vaccine rollout.

In a press statement, Zarate said it now appeared that the President was "sabotaging" his own administration's vaccine program.

"This is absurd. It is the Duterte administration that allowed and insisted on a tripartite agreement, where private companies and local government units are authorized to procure vaccines from manufacturers for as long as it passes through  the national government," Zarate said.

"This arrangement is in fact unique in the Philippines because manufacturers would not close the vaccine deal with LGUs or private parties without some central entity being responsible for indemnification," he added.

In his public address on Monday night, Duterte said that the government should not be liable for the side effects brought by the COVID-19 vaccines procured by the private sector.

A total of the P500 million has been set aside “to augment the funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation” as indemnity fund for the vaccine's side effects. 

The amount will be sourced from the national budget’s contingent fund.

Section 8 of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 states that “public officials and employees, contractors, manufacturers, volunteers and representatives of duly authorized private entities who are duly authorized to carry out and are actually carrying out the COVID-19 Vaccination program shall be immune from suit and liability under Philippine laws . . .except arising from willful misconduct and gross negligence.”

Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, said Duterte did not misread the said law when he insisted that the national government could not pay for damages resulting from willful neglect and gross negligence of private firms. -NB, GMA News