Jollygoodfellow Posted March 19, 2021 Posted March 19, 2021 Personal opinion, this is well said but realistically talking about having money in May last year is moot as no one had vaccines or approved ones. Sen. Panfilo Lacson urged the government to be transparent about the true situation regarding its COVID-19 vaccine purchases after supplies arrived in small trickles despite a total of about P126.75 billion, mostly from foreign loans, set aside for their procurement. The loans were made since last year from the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). “I wish they would be truthful, start from the basics by telling the truth. So long as the concerned authorities do not recognize the problem, we cannot come up with a solution,” Lacson said. In a series of tweets, the senator called on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to give Filipinos a “lowdown” on the vaccine situation and to be decisive. Citing Department of Finance (DOF) records, Lacson said the Philippine government had obtained loans from WB, ADB and AIIB in six tranches: $100 million on April 20, 2020; $500 million on May 28, 2020; $600 million on Dec. 16, 2020; and $500 million, $400 million and $300 million separately in March. The loans are on top of the P10 billion allocated by Congress last year for the purchase of vaccines under the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act, Lacson said. He said the country’s finance team had the foresight to book the loans ahead of the rush, but the “other team” in the health management sector—specifically those in charge of vaccine procurement—did not seem to do their part early enough. ‘Other team didn’t act early’ Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque declined to comment on Lacson’s statement, saying the IATF was to meet later on Thursday evening and that he would address the issue in a briefing on Friday. “Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III had repeatedly said we have enough funds and the DOF should be commended for having the foresight in taking the initiative to negotiate for the loans much ahead of time. However, no matter how efficient the DOF team is, why did the other team not act early?” Lacson said. He asked why the purchased vaccines have not arrived, noting that the first batches of COVID-19 shots were donations from the international vaccine pool, Covax, and from the Chinese government. The Philippines has so far received 600,000 doses of CoronaVac made by Sinovac Biotech from China, and 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca from the Covax facility. “There should no longer be a problem since we have the money to spend, which were the loans,” he said. He dismissed explanations by IATF officials on the reasons for the delay and said they were trying to flatter the public with claims of a faster pace of vaccination. “They keep harping on more speculative than real,” he said, citing the IATF’s pronouncement that the government will be able to inoculate 450,000 people a day starting April. But at the rate the vaccination rollout is going, which is 4,000 jabs a day, the Philippines will achieve herd immunity only in 2033, Lacson said. “It would be better if our authorities refrain from giving such statements because it is the government’s credibility that suffers, and the people will doubt them all the more because they know when they are being taken for a ride,” he said. Partners, not competitors The government’s vaccine supply also suffered from “overregulation,” Lacson said, saying the private sector seemed discouraged from offering to donate half of their vaccine purchases if they were allowed to deal directly with the manufacturers. He reiterated his call for the government to treat the private sector “as partners and not as competitors” in the procurement of the vaccines. Lacson also asked whether the government was making “a study or a scientific analysis” of the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. “They should at least be able to provide an explanation to the public so that we can also take the necessary precaution,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM LEILA B. SALAVERRIA For more news about the novel coronavirus click here. What you need to know about Coronavirus. For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150. Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1408749/after-p127b-in-loans-where-are-the-jabs#ixzz6pWQS1hJA 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred Posted March 19, 2021 Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) For those foreigners that want it, they can either probably purchase it here for extorted long nose prices or fly back home and get it done there.. At least these two choices are available for you. This is all great news for me.. The deep and sticky bog bureaucratic procedures and red tape in the Philippines should hold up this un wanted vaccine much much longer than even I first expected! Cool. Edited March 19, 2021 by fred 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support Old55 Posted March 19, 2021 Forum Support Posted March 19, 2021 Be curious to know what happened to that money. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk blues Posted March 19, 2021 Posted March 19, 2021 1 minute ago, Old55 said: Be curious to know what happened to that money. Unfortunately, not enough of the population have the same sense of curiosity. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred Posted March 19, 2021 Posted March 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, Old55 said: Be curious to know what happened to that money. They probably used the same Accountant that managed the Yolanda donation fund. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support Old55 Posted March 19, 2021 Forum Support Posted March 19, 2021 1 minute ago, fred said: They probably used the same Accountant that managed the Yolanda donation fund. True story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OnMyWay Posted March 23, 2021 Popular Post Posted March 23, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 11:31 AM, fred said: The deep and sticky bog bureaucratic procedures and red tape in the Philippines On 3/19/2021 at 11:33 AM, Old55 said: Be curious to know what happened to that money. On 3/19/2021 at 11:36 AM, hk blues said: Unfortunately, not enough of the population have the same sense of curiosity. On 3/19/2021 at 11:38 AM, fred said: They probably used the same Accountant that managed the Yolanda donation fund. You guys are hinting at a major factor in my decision to move my family out of the Philippines. If it was just me, I could deal with it, but I don't want my two young daughters growing up thinking this is the way the world runs. Sonjack posted the article about "Is this why the Philippines is a poor country" and direct investment topic. It all boils down to corruption and keeping the powerful in power. When I moved here in 2012, I really thought the Philippines was going to move forward and upward. After living here for 9 years, I no longer believe they are going to make it out of the corruption rut they are in. IMHO, there are only a few ways that can happen, and they are terrible. Sorry for the rant! 5 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham59 Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 11:33 AM, Old55 said: Be curious to know what happened to that money. Lining the pockets of the upper echelons here... as per usual ? Same old story really... . 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 (edited) 59 minutes ago, OnMyWay said: You guys are hinting at a major factor in my decision to move my family out of the Philippines. If it was just me, I could deal with it, but I don't want my two young daughters growing up thinking this is the way the world runs. Sonjack posted the article about "Is this why the Philippines is a poor country" and direct investment topic. It all boils down to corruption and keeping the powerful in power. When I moved here in 2012, I really thought the Philippines was going to move forward and upward. After living here for 9 years, I no longer believe they are going to make it out of the corruption rut they are in. IMHO, there are only a few ways that can happen, and they are terrible. Sorry for the rant! One thing I prefer about living here is the fact that the low and high level corruption is all highly visible and pretty easily understood by the normal everyday citizen.. It is blatently obvious for all to see. Back home in the west,the powers that be are way more advanced in regards hiding their ill gotten gains.. They have smoke and mirror technology now that you would not believe.. The Main stream media are all bought and paid for and I could rant on and on about why they do not expose these scumbag elite hierarchy in the papers or on TV ..he he I`m happy my kids all grew up here and live old fashioned western/Asian style happy lives. No regrets. Edited March 23, 2021 by fred 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 5 minutes ago, fred said: One thing I prefer about living here is the fact that the low and high level corruption is all highly visible and pretty easily understood by the normal everyday citizen.. It is blatently obvious for all to see. Back home in the west,the powers that be are way more advanced in regards hiding their ill gotten gains.. They have smoke and mirror technology now that you would not believe.. The Main stream media are all bought and paid for and I could rant on and on about why they do not expose these scumbag elite hierarchy in the papers or on TV ..he he I`m happy my kids all grew up here and live old fashioned western style happy lives. No regrets. I understand what you are saying. We have gone over so many factors, and decided the benefits of living in the U.S. outweigh the negatives, and also outweigh some benefits that exist in the Philippines. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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