Senators question vaccine ‘monopoly’. Inquirer Newsletter. January 12, 2021

No images? Click here   EERIE LANDSCAPE Taal Volcano Island, once home to 8,000 people whose communities depended on tourism and fishing, has been reduced to an eerie landscape after the eruption in January last year. A drone shot shows gullies that have been formed on the volcano’s ash-laden slopes due to rainfall in the area. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE     News PNP probes mishandling of Dacera case by police The Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Debold Sinas, on Monday ordered an internal inquiry into possible lapses committed by the Makati police in its handling of the case of 23-year-old flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera. —STORY BY Jeannette I. Andrade Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Regions Another man on Du30 narcolist gunned down LIBUNGAN, COTABATO – It was not the first time that unidentified gunmen made an attempt on his life. Barely two years ago, on January 7, 2019, Libungan Mayor Christopher “Amping” Cuan was inside town hall here around 1:45 p.m. when an unidentified gunman opened fire and missed, according to the police’ account of the incident. —STORY BY Jeoffrey Maitem and Edwin O. Fernandez Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   Follow     Banner story Senators question vaccine ‘monopoly’ By DJ Yap “Do you want to play God?” That question by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon hit officials in charge of the coronavirus vaccination program hard on Monday as senators pressed them to explain vaccine procurement bottlenecks, including why the government appeared to be bent on cornering the acquisition of COVID-19 shots. The senators, in a show of unity, wondered what was stopping the cash-strapped national government from allowing private companies and local governments to take up the slack so the Philippines could catch up with its Southeast Asian neighbors in the race to get their shares of the fast-diminishing global supply of vaccines. The discussion turned heated at certain points, but the senators were near unanimous in questioning what they described as a virtual government monopoly in vaccine procurement. Red tape “Why does the national government want to monopolize the purchase [of the vaccines]? Why not just let [local governments] and the private sector do their own purchases?” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said during the inquiry of the Senate committee of the whole. “If this is truly a whole-of-nation approach, why not let the private sector, if they are willing to pay … do their own importation, or the [local governments] for that matter?” he said. Recto was following up on a point raised by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who cited various cases of bureaucratic red tape in the Philippines, including a botched deal between unidentified local governments and the UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca that he said should have been coursed through the Go Negosyo entrepreneurial group. “My question is, why is [the] government making it difficult for the private sector to just do it themselves?” Lacson asked. —WITH A REPORT FROM MELVIN GASCON INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial An issue of trust In a new year when the priority of every government the world over is getting their people vaccinated against COVID-19, the first order of business for the House of Representatives in this country is, once again, revving up the Charter change train. Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net       Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe