Senate to resume inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine program on Friday

The Senate will continue its investigation into the Philippines' COVID-19 immunization program as questions remain about the price and efficacy of the vaccines that the government intends to administer to Filipinos.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the next hearing will be held on Friday, January 22, at 10 a.m., and tasked Senator Panfilo Lacson to prepare a shortlist of resource persons.

Friday's event will follow two hours-long hearings held last week in which senators pressed officials in charge of securing the shots on the terms of their agreements with vaccine manufacturers.

Amid criticism that the government is partial to vaccines from China, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief Carlito Galvez Jr. said that they are negotiating with pharmaceutical company Sinovac to get the "best price."

Earlier, Senate Finance Committee chairperson Sonny Angara provided a list of available vaccines worldwide that bared Sinovac’s price at P3,629 for two doses, which is higher compared with Pfizer-BioNTech (P2,379); Gamaleya (P1,220);  COVAX Facility (P854);  AstraZeneca (P610); and Novavax (P366).

But on Sunday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that each dose of Sinovac's vaccine would cost more or less P650 only.

"I can assure you that in our negotiation, the prices relative to our neighbors are fair and considered the best price," Galvez said on Saturday.

The government has not disclosed the actual price, citing a confidentiality with the manufacturer.

But Lacson, in a privilege speech, said other countries have been open about vaccine prices.

"I could not understand for the life of me why we are being kept in the dark when it comes to our price negotiations with Sinovac, while our neighboring countries could not be more transparent about it," he said. 

Earlier in the day, Sinovac Biotech General Manager Helen Yang said the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to the Philippine government at a reasonable price.

"Definitely we are not the highest expensive ones because the mission for Sinovac is to provide the vaccine at an affordable price," Yang said in an interview on CNN- Philippines.

"For [the] Philippines, we do committed to provide a favorable price but unfortunately, I'm not in the position to discuss this confidential information at this moment. But I will be assuring you that this is a very good price that we provided to the Philippines," she added. — RSJ, GMA News