The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City has granted the request of Mayor Evelio Leonardia to authorize him on a continuing basis to enter into contract/s with any pharmaceutical company legally operating in the Philippines for the availment of COVID-19 vaccines.
The city councilors approved the request of the mayor today, January 8, in their regular session, a day after Leonardia signed multilateral and confidentiality agreements with AstraZeneca for the availment of vaccines against COVID-19.
Leonardia, in a letter to the SP, said: “The availability of COVID-19 vaccines is limited, and considering the massive nationwide demand for it, we are bound to encounter problems in its timely availment if we do not act now to ensure that we are on the list of LGUs which are ready to avail of any vaccine supply that the national government shall be able to procure under existing policies and procedures, and subject to adjustments that the national government may eventually adopt thereon.”
Councilor Dindo Ramos said that the local chief executive could not transact business with the pharmaceutical companies even if they have the authority or approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stressing there is a need to go through a process of consultation with the Department of Health (DOH)
“If there’s overpricing, it’s not only the mayor who is liable but the DOH secretary as well since he is one of the signatories of the contract,” he said.
There’s already a safety measure installed by the national government for LGUs to procure the vaccines from different sources, Ramos stressed.
The city government will earmark P300 million for the procurement of coronavirus vaccines, the mayor said.*