Pangilinan bats for transparency in COVID-19 vaccine prices

Senator Francis Pangilinan on Sunday said there should be more transparency in the procurement of P15 billion worth of vaccines, as he raised the disparity in prices in purchased jabs against COVID-19.

He noted that the national government has so far purchased three brands of vaccines, including Sinovac and Sputnik V, and that the P15-billion budget also includes delivery and down payment.

"Doon mo makikita na talagang nauna at pinakamarami ang Sinovac sila ang unang nabayaran at sila ang unang nakakuha nitong budget ... yung mga bayarin ng gobyerno sa vaccines," he said over Super Radyo DZBB.

(You can see how Sinovac was the first to be procured and received the most payment from the government's vaccine procurement funds).

Further, he said the national government should disclose which brand received the huge chunk of the funds.

Earlier, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said vaccines cost around $6.75 (P323.26) to $27.59 (roughly P1,321

"Well, ang range daw may presyong P1,000 may presyong P700. So, hindi ko alam. Kaya gusto natin ano, sino yung pinakamataas?  Sabi nga diba parang malaki ang disparity, malaki ang difference. So we would like to know alin ang nakatanggap ng times four, at bakit?" Pangilinan said.

(Vaccine prices range  from P1,000 to P700. We want to know which brand is priced the highest? We see the big disparity so we would like to know which brand got four times more the price, and why?)

But, in a previous Senate hearing, Dominguez and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. reiterated that they could not disclose to the public the price of each brand due the existing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with vaccine makers.

However, the two officials said they were willing to reveal the figures to the senators in an executive session.

Pangilinan said he will support an executive session that would reveal more information about the vaccine prices.

Also, the legislator said there is no need to sign any "disclosure agreement" between senators and officials because there are rules already in place to protect information in the executive session from being divulged.

If the information was revealed, there will be penalty of expulsion, Pangilinan added. —LBG, GMA News