Dizon says gov't to bare in Senate how COVID-19 vaccine funds used

Testing czar Vince Dizon said Monday the government would provide for a full accounting of the funds used to procure COVID-19 vaccines.

Dizon said the government supports calls for transparency ahead of the Senate hearing on the national vaccination program on Tuesday.

“Transparency is very important. And the national government agencies will be presenting the breakdown of the budget and how it has been utilized, released and utilized, tomorrow at the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing,” Dizon said at a Palace news conference.

In a statement on Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked the government to provide details of the expenses in connection with the P82.5-billion budget for vaccines before it asks for more funds.

He also urged the government to be more transparent about the pricing of the vaccines.

“The lack of transparency also contributes to the problem of vaccine hesitancy,” he said.

Drilon earlier hit the government’s “sluggish” immunization campaign as only around 1.6 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

He reiterated that economic recovery largely depends on the government’s ability to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the population as effectively and as quickly as possible. —NB, GMA News