Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said Local Government Units (LGUs) are not obligated to allocate funds for COVID-19 vaccines that will be provided for free by the national government.
“That is the national government’s responsibility, not the local government, but in terms of managing the virus and providing health responses and isolation facilities, these are really local. That’s why under the existing issuances, the LGUs are allowed to utilize local funds for this purpose,” Avisado said in answer to a query of Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
However, if there are not enough vaccines the LGUs can also spend for those, Avisado said during a recent virtual meeting of the 70th LCP League of Cities of the Philippines- National Executive Board.
Leonardia, LCP president, asked if there is a possibility of a special fund allotment from the Department of Budget and Management for the LGUs in anticipation of the massive procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
Avisado said they have funding support for vaccine procurement under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act of P10 billion.
“For the next year we have added P2. 5 billion but that was raised by Congress to a little over P20 billion or more but even with that, the President was really insistent that whatever is provided for already and those that will be provided for in the next year’s budget will not be enough,” Avisado said.
That is why the president required Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez to assure him that the country has enough funds. Dominguez told the president the government is ready to secure all the way up to P73 billion more to procure the vaccines, he added.
Leonardia has asked the Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines if they have loans program for LGUs if the vaccines provided by the national government are not enough, considering that the country has more than 100 million people.
“Please consider that,” the mayor asked.*