Tag: Carlos Dominguez III

Statements

Ping at SP Sotto: Pondo ’Di Problema; Suplay at Rollout Pagbutihin para sa Herd Immunity
Senate President Tito Sotto and Sen. Ping Lacson at the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the national COVID-19 vaccination program

May sapat na pondo ang pamahalaan para makamit ang target na herd immunity laban sa COVID-19 para sa taon na ito, at ang kailangan lamang ay tiyakin na hindi kapusin ang suplay at maipamahagi nang tama ang mga bakuna.

Ito ang natumbok ni Senador Panfilo Lacson batay sa mga datus na inilabas ni Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III sa Committee of the Whole hearing ng Senado sa programa ng pamahalaan sa pagbabakuna nitong Martes.

Batay sa pag-aaral ni Lacson, may sobra pang P5 bilyon ang pamahalaan kung ang target sa herd immunity ngayong 2021 ang pagbabatayan.

“At P446 per dose including logistical costs, we will need P52.3 billion. We have already secured P57.3 billion through borrowings, so we have a surplus of P5 billion for herd immunity,” banggit ni Lacson sa pagdinig.

“So money is not the problem here. Ang kailangan na lang dito maka-procure ng vaccines at may rollout,” dagdag ni Lacson.

Related: Lacson, Sotto: We Have Enough Funds to Achieve Herd Immunity for 2021
Continue reading “Ping at SP Sotto: Pondo ’Di Problema; Suplay at Rollout Pagbutihin para sa Herd Immunity” →

Statements, Videos

Lacson, Sotto: We Have Enough Funds to Achieve Herd Immunity for 2021
Senate President Tito Sotto and Sen. Ping Lacson at the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the national COVID-19 vaccination program

The government has more than enough funds to achieve herd immunity at least for this year, and should focus more on ensuring the efficient rollout of COVID vaccines, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Tuesday.

Lacson cited figures from Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III indicating government has P5 billion more than needed for herd immunity for 2021.

“At P446 per dose including logistical costs, we will need P52.3 billion. We have already secured P57.3 billion through borrowings, so we have a surplus of P5 billion for herd immunity,” Lacson said during the Senate Committee of the Whole’s hearing on the national COVID-19 vaccination program.

“So money is not the problem here. Ang kailangan na lang dito maka-procure ng vaccines at may rollout (We just need to focus more on procuring the vaccines and rolling them out),” he added.

For his part, Senate President Vicente Sotto III agreed: “The bottom line is the rollout.”

Related: Ping at SP Sotto: Pondo ’Di Problema; Suplay at Rollout Pagbutihin para sa Herd Immunity
Continue reading “Lacson, Sotto: We Have Enough Funds to Achieve Herd Immunity for 2021” →

Radio, Statements, Videos

Ping: Nasaan Ka, Bakuna?

Nasa mahigit P126 bilyon na ang aprubadong utang ng bansa para sa pagbili ng bakuna laban sa COVID-19. Pero bukod sa donasyon ng Tsina at COVAX, nasaan ang mga bakunang dapat ay nabili sa pamamagitan ng naturang pondo?

Tanong ito ni Senador Panfilo Lacson matapos tingnan ang impormasyon mula sa World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Asian Infrastracture Investment Bank, at ng Department of Finance (DOF).

“Magpakatotoo sana, doon muna sa basic. Sabihin lang ang totoo. So long as the concerned authorities do not recognize the problem, we cannot come up with a solution. Bigyan talaga ang lowdown sa Pilipino at maging decisive sana,” paliwanag ni Lacson sa panayam ng SMNI.

Related: Nasaan ang Bakuna? Lacson Says Filipinos Deserve Lowdown on Vaccines Amid Loans
Continue reading “Ping: Nasaan Ka, Bakuna?” →

Radio, Statements, Videos

Nasaan ang Bakuna? Lacson Says Filipinos Deserve Lowdown on Vaccines Amid Loans

As culled from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank records and further articulated in a series of official statements from the Department of Finance, we may now have some P126.75 billion in approved loans for COVID vaccines, but the question remains: Where are the vaccines?

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson raised this question Thursday as he stressed the Filipino people deserve a lowdown from the government on the situation.

Lacson also reiterated his call to the government to treat the private sector as a partner and not as a competitor in the procurement of the much-needed vaccines.

“Magpakatotoo sana, doon muna sa basic. Sabihin lang ang totoo. So long as the concerned authorities do not recognize the problem, we cannot come up with a solution. Bigyan talaga ang lowdown sa Pilipino at maging decisive sana,” he said in an interview on SMNI.

Related: Ping: Nasaan Ka, Bakuna?
Continue reading “Nasaan ang Bakuna? Lacson Says Filipinos Deserve Lowdown on Vaccines Amid Loans” →

In the News, Radio, Statements

#PINGterview: ‘Lost Opportunity’ sa COVID Vaccine

In an interview on DZXL, Sen. Lacson detailed how DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III cost the government an opportunity to acquire 10 million doses of COVID vaccines from Pfizer by January 2021.

MORE DETAILS:
 Continue reading “#PINGterview: ‘Lost Opportunity’ sa COVID Vaccine” →

Hearings/Investigations, Photos, Statements, Videos

Labag sa Constitution? Questioning Lump Sums, Re-Appropriations in the 2021 Proposed Budget

At the hearing on the proposed 2021 budget, Sen. Lacson raised questions on the following issues:
* Ability of DPWH, DoTr to accomplish infrastructure programs to rebound from pandemic
* P396B in lump sums in the DPWH’s budget – lodged in the central office
* Re-appropriations involving 2,933 items worth P73.5B in the proposed budget
* P30B not yet allocated for COVID-19 response

MORE DETAILS…
Continue reading “Labag sa Constitution? Questioning Lump Sums, Re-Appropriations in the 2021 Proposed Budget” →

Hearings/Investigations, Photos, Statements, Videos

‘Bakit Higit Doble ang Presyo ng Gobyerno Kesa Private Sector?’: At the Senate Hearing on the COVID-19 Situation

At the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the government’s response against COVID-19, Sen. Lacson questioned the seeming overprice in the purchase of equipment to address the pandemic.

QUOTES and NOTES:
Continue reading “‘Bakit Higit Doble ang Presyo ng Gobyerno Kesa Private Sector?’: At the Senate Hearing on the COVID-19 Situation” →

Statements

On the Proposed Mass Hiring of Contact Tracers

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, one of the few sensible souls in the Cabinet, has proposed to prioritize the hiring of contact tracers en masse to boost efforts to stop transmission and provide jobs to stimulate the economy through spending.

Contact tracing is a key first step in addressing the COVID-19 threat. It should provide the baseline data or reference on who to test. Without it, our mass testing will be like shooting at the moon or running around like headless chickens.

Kung maipapatupad ang mungkahing ito nang maayos, maaari nating lutasin agad ang dalawang problema.

Ang bagay na ito ay nasa kamay na ng liderato ng Department of Health: Maiimplementa kaya nila ang mungkahi ni Secretary Dominguez?

*****

Statements

On Rep. Castro’s ‘Version’ of Tuesday Evening’s Meeting on the 2019 Budget
Image courtesy: Abante Online

Not true. Instead, my suggestion didn’t sit well with the congressmen.

Executive Secretary Medialdea and Finance Secretary Dominguez in fact favorably endorsed my suggestion to President Rodrigo Duterte as a practical and logical approach to break the impasse, especially when I informed the President about the House of Representatives substantially slashing the P72.319-billion DPWH appropriations for the agency’s MFO1 and MFO2 (Major Final Output), which will have negative implications on the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program.

What was obvious last night is that the suggestion didn’t sit well with the congressmen because they cannot be sure if all their realignments will be adopted. It’s all about their pork, not mindful if they will be derailing the flagship projects of the government.

*****