Sino kaya ang nagdikta sa Department of Health (DOH) kaya mataas ang presyo ng Sinovac vaccines na dati nitong binanggit?

Tinanong ito ni Senador Panfilo Lacson matapos na nagsabing “not totally acceptable” ang paliwanag ni DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III na hinanap niya lang sa Google ang presyo ng nabanggit na bakuna.

“Unverified reports that some shenanigans working behind the scene might have fed the DOH the unreasonably high price of the Sinovac vaccine could lend credence to the attempt to dupe the Filipino taxpayers even during a pandemic,” pagbubunyag ng mambabatas.

Lumalabas kasi na masyadong malayo ang isiniwalat na presyo na isiniwalat ng DOH kumpara sa mga report na naglalabasan.

“As early as Oct. 14, 2020, it was reported that the price of Sinovac vaccines in Indonesia was about P683. There is also a price range of P650 to P700 per dose that was relayed to us. This is quite far from the P3,629.50 submitted by the DOH to the Senate finance committee in December last year for the 2021 budget deliberations,” nagtatakang pahayag ng senador.

Related: Lacson: Who Fed DOH Unreasonable High Price of Sinovac Vaccines?

Lumakas umano ang pagdududa ng mga senador sa pagdinig na kanilang ginawa sa Senado sa presyuhan ng vaccine, habang tumatanggi si vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. na magbigay ng numero ay kasabay namang nag-aanunsiyo si Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. na hindi pwedeng maging choosy ang taumbayan, at Sinovac lang ang available mula Pebrero hanggang Hunyo.

Ayon pa kay Lacson, maaring may katuwiran umano ang ideya ni Senate President Vicente Sotto III na maaaring hayaan munang maunang magbakuna ang ibang bansa, pero hindi rin dapat mahuli ang bansa dahil ang turok ng bakuna ay turok din sa ekonomiya.

“If we are late in inoculating our people, the economy will suffer. This is amid projections the Philippines will be the last to recover economically from the pandemic,” pahabol ni Lacson.

*****