Cavite's Remulla laments 'very frustrating' COVID-19 vax supply

Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla on Thursday appealed to the national government for more supply of COVID-19 vaccines as their residents are already exasperated over the delayed delivery.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Remulla said the province's local government units have been requesting for vaccine support from the national government.

“Ang sinasabi nila (national government) ‘we will get back to you, may supply na darating.’ Very frustrating ang situation,” he said.

(They were just saying ‘we will get back to you, supply is coming’. The situation here is prostrating.)

In the first week of July, he said the national government gave the province a supply of Sinovac doses and were told to administer all of the jabs. But the supply for the second dose came after six to eight weeks.

The World Health Organization recommended that the second dose of Sinovac vaccine should be received after two to four weeks only.

Remulla also expressed his frustration on Twitter.

“I am already beyond frustrated. Nakailang meeting na pero everytime we ask for vaccine support the answer is ‘we will get back to you.’ Puro ganyan. It is worse than ‘noted’,” he said.

(I am already beyond frustrated. We had meetings several times but every time we ask for vaccines support the answer is ‘we will get back to you.’ Always like that. It is worse than just saying "noted.")

He said he talked to National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon and told him that the supply given to the province is based on its capability of vaccinating 4,000 per day.

However, Remulla said it was not true.

He pointed out that mayors stored half of the vaccine supply as reserve for the second dose to avoid previous incidents where the second jabs were delayed due to undelivered supply.

Due to this, Remulla appealed to the national government to allow local governments to import their own vaccine supply through agreement with companies.

With the guidance of the NTF, League of Provinces president Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. said some LGUs deferred signing tripartite deals for COVID-19 vaccine supply over delivery issues.

In January, President Rodrigo Duterte approved a recommendation for LGUs to enter into a tripartite agreement for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.

Several local governments already signed deals with manufacturers for their own supply of vaccines, separate from the supply that will be provided by the national government.

GMA News Online has tried to contact vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. for his comment, but his office has yet get back to us as of this posting. —LBG, GMA News