By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA News
Published December 18, 2020 9:59am The Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) that the Philippine government entered with American firm Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccine procurement did not include vaccine supply, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday. Vergeire was responding to a question regarding comments made by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. and Senator Panfilo Lacson that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s alleged late action on the CDA with Pfizer cost the Philippines early access to Pfizer s vaccine. “Iyong pag-uusap sa CDA, initial negotiation iyon between the government and Pfizer para makita natin ang mga dokumento at mapag-aralan natin ang profile nila. Wala pa sa stage na magkakaroon tayo ng ganitong doses by this time,” Vergeire said in an interview on Unang Balita.
Published December 17, 2020 2:41am The failure of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III cost the Philippines a delivery of 10 million coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines from Pfizer by January 2021, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Lacson said he talked to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, who arranged the meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. in which they discussed the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. Thus, they could have secured the delivery of 10 million Pfizer vaccines as early as January next year, way ahead of Singapore but for the indifference of Sec Duque who failed to work on the necessary documentary requirement namely, the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) as he should have done, the senator said in a statement.
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MANILA. Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. (Presidential Communications)
+ December 18, 2020 DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified on Friday, December 18, that the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) between the government and Pfizer does not include the procurement of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines.
Vergeire said the CDA only includes information about the vaccine the government needs to review.
“Iyong pag-uusap sa CDA, initial negotiation iyon between the government and Pfizer para makita natin ang mga dokumento at mapag-aralan natin ang profile nila. Wala pa sa stage na magkakaroon tayo ng ganitong doses by this time,” she said in a television interview.
The Philippines was supposed to get the Pfizer vaccine in January. - AP
MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): Sen Kiko Pangilinan on Thursday (Dec 17) said some government officials may be held liable for graft over the government’s failure to secure a deal for 10 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had helped to arrange for the Philippines.
In a statement, Pangilinan said the failure raised suspicion that the prospect of kickbacks might have motivated the government officials not to submit a document required by the US pharmaceutical giant.
“We just hope it’s not an issue of ‘kickvac’ that led to the ‘dropping of the ball’ in the vaccine procurement, ” Pangilinan said.