Lawmakers filed measures at the House of Representatives that will allow private businesses to procure coronavirus vaccines at their own initiative, without import duties and taxes, to encourage more institutions to get their supply aside from the government’s.
Invoking the Filipinos right to health, House Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez filed House Resolution No. 1453, which urges the national government to authorize the private sector to buy vaccines for their employees and their families. The Cagayan de Oro City representative said that private firms are needed to ensure that enough Filipinos will be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Around 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from around seven companies are being worked on by the government this year. If this goes as planned, around 50 to 70 million Filipinos could be vaccinated by the end of 2021, leaving millions without immunity.
Aside from the resolution, Rodriguez also filed House Bill No. 8301, which seeks to exempt the private sector’s vaccine purchases from import duties, value added tax, excise tax, and other fees.
“Many private companies have expressed interest in acquiring and purchasing vaccines for their employees and their dependents to move towards higher productivity and income for their personnel,” Rodriguez said.
