The Philippine government has yet to sign any supply agreement with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, according to Galvez.
Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Friday said that the Philippine government has yet to sign any supply agreement with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.
In an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel, Galvez said that the supply agreement is dictated by the supplier, adding that they weren’t delaying as the ball wasn’t in their hands.
“Ang supply agreement po kasi, ang nagdidictate po yung supplier. Kung sabihin nila, we will pause [for] a while, even though sabihin natin na we meet pero wala pong definitive na date ng delivery, how can we have the payment and terms? Hindi po delaying. The ball is not in our hands. Nasa kanila po kasi,” he added.
READ ALSO: LGUs, Private Sector To Advance Payment For AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Doses On February 24
In a Senate hearing on Thursday, Galvez himself disclosed that the Philippines had not yet signed a supply agreement with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.
Galvez also said that the Philippines had only signed term sheets with different COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, securing some 108 million COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon expressed worry that this could mean there’s no firm commitment yet on the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.
Meanwhile, Galvez disclosed that the local government units — as well as the private sector — would issue an advance payment on February 24 for 20% for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines it ordered.
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