Press Release
Senate passes bill to accelerate vaccination program
The Senate on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, passed on third and final reading the bill which will expedite the purchase and administration of COVID-19 vaccines to Filipinos.
With an overwhelming 22 affirmative votes, the Senate in its hybrid plenary session, approved Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2057 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021.
Sen. Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance and sponsor of the bill, said the proposed measure will expedite the purchase and administration of COVID-19 vaccines to end the pandemic earlier and to jumpstart economic recovery in the country.
SBN 2057, in consideration of SBN 2056 or the Vaccine Indemnification Fund bill authored by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, is a consolidation of Senate bills and proposed resolutions authored by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Migz F. Zubiri, Sens. Angara, Pia Cayetano, Imee R. M
(Photo by John Cairns / University of Oxford / AFP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Aside from Go and Angara among the principal-authors, 15 more senators have co-authored Senate Bill (SB) 2057 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Bill.
Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, has co-sponsored SB 2057 designed to hasten the procurement of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
The measure allows local government units (LGUs) to procure vaccines and make advance payments, and to include an indemnification fund requested by vaccine manufacturers to cover the possible expenses and claims arising from adverse effects of the vaccines.
According Angara, the principal sponsor of the measure to hasten the process of procurement and administration of the COVID-19 vaccines, the measure gives authority to the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 to “undertake negotiated procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and the ancillary supplies and services
WANG ZHAO AFP/File
Go was referring to Senate Bill No. 2057 under Committee Report No. 185, entitled “An Act Expediting the Procurement and Administration of Vaccines for the Protection Against COVID-19, Providing Funds Thereof, and for Other Purposes.”
The said bill also includes provisions creating the Vaccine Indemnification Fund, which the government’s task force against COVID-19 has requested from lawmakers.
“Importante na maisabatas ito sa lalong madaling panahon dahil malaking parte ito ng ating (It’s very important to expedite its passage into law because this will be a huge part in our ) National COVID-19 Vaccine Roadmap upang tuloy-tuloy na ang pag-roll-out ng mga bakuna sa ating bansa (so our that our vaccine program roll-out across the country would be smooth),” Go said in a statement.
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Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Wednesday, February 17, said members of media should also be considered in the priority list of the government’s national COVID-19 vaccination program without prejudice to other sectors already identified as priorities.