Friday, January 22, 2021

No sea row compromises in Sino vaccine talks—Galvez. Inquirer Newsletter. January 23, 2021

ON THE RADAR The military and police say the 493-hectare property of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City, is a hot spot for criminal and insurgent activities. The Department of National Defense has abrogated a 1989 agreement not to allow security forces to conduct operations on UP campuses nationwide without notifying school authorities. —LEO M. SABANGAN II

News

18 trial sites for 3 COVID vaccines

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced on Friday that clinical trials for three COVID-19 vaccines will be held in 18 facilities in Metro Manila, Laguna and Cavite provinces and in the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo. Vaccine makers Janssen Pharmaceutica, Clover Biopharmaceuticals and Sinovac Biotech intend to start the trials as soon as possible, the DOST said. —Story by Patricia Denise M. Chiu

Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Regions

Prices of Benguet veggies unstable

Just four months ago, Benguet province was practically dumping its harvest of vegetables due to a glut and pandemic-induced transport restrictions. But the series of typhoons late last year damaged local farms, resulting in a supply shortfall and price surge—a trend that is expected to continue especially in Metro Manila, the main market of the produce. —Story by Kimberly Quitasol, Armand Galang and Vincent Cabreza

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No sea row compromises in Sino vaccine talks—Galvez

By DJ Yap

The head of the national COVID-19 vaccination program stumbled twice during a Senate inquiry on the vaccine rollout, accidentally admitting that he had lied about the price of a Chinese-made vaccine and urging the Philippines to set aside its “differences” with China in the West Philippine Sea to win the battle against the pandemic.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., who is also chief implementer of the national COVID-19 task force, quickly corrected his twin blunders at the hearing on Friday where senators pressed him on the lingering questions about the cost and efficacy of the shots from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, the secrecy surrounding the deal and Beijing’s “vaccine diplomacy.”

In the early part of the seven-hour hearing, the third and last since the Senate opened its inquiry on Jan. 11, Sen. Risa Hontiveros wanted to get an assurance from Galvez that there would be “no strings attached” to any vaccine deal with the Chinese and that the government would continue to uphold the country’s interests in the West Philippine Sea.

Galvez explained that during a pandemic, “the global interest is to save humanity” and every country wanted to help solve the crisis.

“Our differences in the West Philippine Sea should be set aside because this is a global pandemic, and our problem is a global menace,” he said.

Clarification

The senator said she was shocked at how Galvez responded. “This is not a quid pro quo,” she said.

Galvez immediately backpedaled. “We would like to make a clarification. We will not compromise on our state,” he said.

He stressed that vaccine selection would be “science-based,” suggesting that China-made shots approved by experts should be accepted.

Hontiveros insisted that the government should not compromise the country’s strategic goals and foreign policy objectives in procuring vaccines.

“Just because we’re buying Chinese vaccines or accepting donations or gifts from China, we should set aside our claims on territories in the West Philippine Sea?,” she said, noting that despite the raging pandemic “China remains resolute in asserting unrightful ownership of our territories.”

‘Yes, ma’am’

Midway through the hearing, Sen. Grace Poe took her turn to cite the discrepancy between the high price of about P3,600 quoted by the Department of Health for two shots of CoronaVac, the vaccine produced by Sinovac, and Galvez’s insistence that the doses cost much lower.

“So basically you don’t want to divulge the real price, so you’re lying to the public?” Poe asked Galvez.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, stunning the senator.

“I find it a little discomforting that you openly admitted that you’re lying to the public, although I know maybe you can justify it by saying it’s for the greater good, so that we don’t lose our contracts,” the senator said.

Galvez tried to interrupt Poe to explain.

“Ma’am, ma’am, I’m not lying to the public,” he said. “I’m saying, in order to correct the impression of the public that we’re overpricing, we just stated an indicative price of not more than P700.”

Poe pressed the former military chief: “But, sir, with all due respect, I thought I asked you that, ‘so, you basically lied to the public?’ And you said ‘yes.’”

“No, ma’am,” Galvez said, stammering as he tried to explain that the published prices were “incorrect considering the real negotiated price.”

Still, he refused to disclose the price at which the government would purchase the Chinese vaccine. The government earlier announced it was planning to buy 25 million doses of Sinovac’s vaccine.

Market price

During budget deliberations last year, the DOH told the Senate finance panel that two doses of the Sinovac vaccine would cost P3,629.50, making it the second most expensive of about five candidate vaccines that have been developed.

According to Galvez, that was just the “market price” which was different from the negotiated price between governments, he told Poe.

In lieu of a proposed executive session with senators where he was to disclose details about the negotiations with Sinovac, Galvez briefed Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Ronald dela Rosa, and Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who is in charge of national contact tracing efforts, on the progress of his negotiations with Sinovac.

President Duterte instructed Galvez to give the briefing, according to Lacson.

Kept secret, for now

The Senate leadership decided to keep the terms of the Philippines’ impending deal with Sinovac secret, at least until the signing of the contract.

Galvez earlier told the hearing that revealing the negotiated prices might jeopardize the negotiations. “This is the last thing we would like to happen,” he said.

“To put clarity to the national vaccination roadmap, I’d also like to put on record that I recognize the oversight powers of the Senate … but I would like to assure our esteemed senators that all negotiations are above board and free of corruption,” Galvez said.

He promised to publicly disclose the price of CoronaVac once the supply contract agreement was signed.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon invoked the constitutional right of the people to information on matters of public concern in raising the issue of vaccine prices, but accepted the decision of the Senate leadership.

‘Quite absurd’

But some senators were uncomfortable with keeping the price secret.

In a message to the Inquirer, Poe said the record of her exchange with Galvez, including his accidental admission of lying, “speaks for itself.”

The justification for not revealing the prices of the vaccines “is quite absurd because the other countries will eventually figure out the prices at the end,” she said. “In fact, we have seen other countries publishing their vaccine prices. So, what use is there to hide it now?”

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said he was worried that local governments and other government agencies could now “wrongly conclude” that price lists were confidential.

Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Joven agreed, adding that that was precisely the reason the government was committing to disclose the pricing only after the supply agreement had been signed.

Editorial

Compliance and equity

Surveys report a still substantial proportion of Filipinos resisting the idea of vaccination due to fear of side effects and lingering doubts about the safety of vaccines. This hasn’t been helped any by the air of mistrust created around the entire issue of immunization, what with reports of smuggled unauthorized vaccines used furtively by select individuals, among them the presidential guards, as well as politicians, the moneyed, and Chinese overseas gaming workers. And as if to add insult to injury, the most prominent case of an official violating the rules on social distancing, that of Sen. Koko Pimentel who broke quarantine to accompany his pregnant wife to a hospital, has ended in the dismissal of the case. That the dismissal hinged on a technicality, despite the same rules having been used to arrest thousands of other alleged violators—many of them subjected to prolonged detention and harsh punishment—leaves a bitter aftertaste, and once more puts the lie to government posturing that the law is being applied equitably.

Questions continue to surround the vaccination months ago of the Presidential Security Group, since the Food and Drugs Administration had not greenlighted the importation, much less the use, of any vaccine, whether from China or elsewhere. Sen. Bato dela Rosa insisted nothing illegal took place, even declaring that 'FDA-approved o hindi, buhay ko ito. Wala akong pakialam diyan sa FDA, kung approved nila o hindi ‘yan basta buhay ko nakasalalay, I have to decide for my own life.' A lawmaker—and former chief law enforcer—scorning the law. There, in a nutshell, is the mentality of entitlement, privilege, and self-interest that seems to permeate the country’s circles of power. Equity, in terms of access and affordability, remains an elusive goal. No wonder Filipinos remain skeptical, cynical, and resistant, resentful of the uneven toll of hardship borne by the rich and the poor in these parts.

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net