Gov't urged to back int'l campaign to make COVID-19 vaccine cheaper, available for everyone
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros is calling on Malacañang to support an international campaign to ease intellectual property agreements in order to ensure universal access to an affordable and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
"In a global pandemic of unprecedented proportion, it is inhumane and unjust to let stringent IP regulations stand in the way of a vaccine that can save lives. We must stand in solidarity with other developing countries in this call so everyone, and not people in just the rich and powerful countries, will have access to COVID-19 vaccines once they become available,” she said.
Hontiveros on Wednesday morning filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 560 which urges the government, through the foreign affairs department to "support the proposal of India and South Africa for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to suspend the implementation, application and enforcement of relevant provisions under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for the COVID-19 vaccine."
While TRIPS seeks to protect IP, the senator pointed out that it has in the past made new medicine and medical technology extremely expensive especially for developing countries.
"Commercial prices of medicine and technology have been have been roadblocks to proper health care many times before. But this is a crisis that has put even the world’s economy to a halt, and will continue to do so if an available vaccine isn’t distributed immediately and strategically,” she said.
Hontiveros further said in the proposed resolution that even as the Philippines is seeking to provide vaccines, it is in "dire need of funds for social services, other and other essential expenditures for employment, health education," and more.
“We have to make sure the trillions we’ve loaned and the billions we’ve put aside from our budget for this vaccine are worth it. Hopefully we can make the most out of every peso so that most if not all of the poor will receive the vaccine," she said in Filipino and English. “It is crucial that we join this call to seek the support of the international community so even the poorest of the poor will get the protection that we all deserve.”
Palace: COVID-19 vaccine will be affordable for Filipinos
As the House of Representatives on Wednesday transmitted the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021 to the Senate, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque) said the original P2.5 billion budget for the procurement of a coronavirus vaccine had been tripled. Senate President Tito Sotto later said he supported the increase in the budget for a vaccine to P8 billion.
Presidential spokesman Harrry Roque on October 15 said about P2 billion was the estimated cost of inoculating the poor, the police, the military and frontliners. In total, he said these demographics make up 20 million — or 17%— of the country's about 113 million strong population.
The P2 billion was based on the finance department estimate that a coronavirus vaccine would cost US$10 (around P486) per dose, or US$20 (P972) per person as two dosages are required per individual. The Wall Street Journal reported in September that the vaccine could cost from $4-$25 in the US.
While President Rodrigo Duterte has previously said that he wants the government to shoulder the cost of inoculating all Filipinos, his spokesman has been unwilling to give a direct answer on whether the government would, in fact, ensure that the vaccine is given to the entire population for free. Instead, Roque said he was sure it would be affordable. — Bella Perez-Rubio
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