Threat to scrap VFA could limit Philippines' vaccine options, Lacson warns
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 10:10 a.m.) — Threatening to end the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US if it does not send doses of COVID-19 vaccine could have the opposite effect, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Monday morning.
The Philippines informed the US in February that it is terminating the VFA. Termination, which takes effect 180 days from notification, was suspended for six months in June and again in November.
"No vaccines, no VFA! Treating the Americans like a bunch of yokels might have sealed our fate to settle for China's Sinovac in lieu of the US-made Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines," Lacson, chair of the Senate committee on national defense, said on social media on Monday.
No vaccines no VFA! Treating the Americans like a bunch of yokels might have sealed our fate to settle for China’s Sinovac in lieu of the US made Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) December 28, 2020
Lacson was referring to President Rodrigo Duterte's comment last Saturday that if the US "can't deliver at least 20 million doses at a minimum, they better get out."
"Do not believe s*** about America delivering immediately," Duterte also said. "If America wants to help, you deliver. Stop talking, what we need is the vaccine. Not your verbose speeches."
RELATED: Envoy: 2 US firms ready to supply up to 25M COVID vaccine doses to Philippines
"Such a pronouncement from the president is at the very least, unfortunate. I think there could be a more diplomatic or at least a better way of asking a longtime ally to help us avail of the vaccines for our people without sounding like we are blackmailing our way into it," Lacson said in a statement released later Monday morning.
"What is more unfortunate is that we had a good chance to procure vaccines early from the US, but someone from our side dropped the ball, and has yet to be held accountable up to this day," he also said, referring to Health Secretary Francisco Duque's belated signing of a confidential disclosure agreement with US drugmaker Pfizer.
Duque has denied that any "balls" were dropped, saying the health department was only told by the office of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea in end-September that it was them who would sign the CDA and not the science and technology department.
"I just wanted to make sure that the provisions are not onerous or disadvantageous to government," Duque said on December 16, while not addressing who was behind the claimed failure of talks. "So I had to refer this to our lawyers, and those from [the Department of Science and Technology] and the executive secretary."
The DOH has also since said that the CDA does not include a deal to supply the Philippines with vaccines.
READ: Vaccine supply not part of confidentiality agreement — DOH
2 US firms ready to supply vaccines
Earlier this month, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said that private US firms Moderna Therapeutics and Arcturus Therapeutics are ready to supply up to 25 million doses of their vaccines beginning the third quarter of next year should the government find their proposals acceptable.
"We are hoping our government will consider the promising candidates of Moderna and Arcturus for inclusion in our country’s pool of anti-COVID vaccines," Romualdez said on December 18.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Sunday that Moderna is "on board" and "accelerating" a huge shipment of COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines.
A vaccine made by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech has raised concerns because of its cost and its efficacy rate of 50%, a level that the Department of Health said is within World Health Organization standards.
RELATED: Senators: 50% Sinovac efficacy unacceptable | DOH defends Sinovac vaccine’s efficacy rate
Duterte on Saturday also said that many in the Philippines have been injected with Sinopharm, a vaccine made by a state-run Chinese company. He said that among those who have been vaccinated with Sinopharm are personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The Food and Drug Administration has not authorized any COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer has applied for emergency use authority in the Philippines.
Sen. Pia Cayetano said Sunday that the law allows the private sector to bring in COVID-19 vaccines through registered pharmaceutical companies.
"The government has no exclusive authority to procure and import COVID-19 vaccines. This is not debatable. The provision under Bayanihan 2 clearly states this," she said, referring to the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.
She said that the law specifies that it does not prohibit "private entities from conducting research, developing, manufacturing, importing, distributing or selling COVID-19 vaccine sourced from registered pharmaceutical companies, subject to the provisions of this Act and existing laws, rules and regulations."
The private sector has secured 2.6 million doses of vaccine from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca as a donation to the government's vaccination efforts. — Jonathan de Santos
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