Ituring na katuwang ang pribadong sektor at mga lokal na pamahalaan sa programang pagbabakuna ng pamahalaan laban sa COVID-19, sa halip na tratuhin sila bilang kakompetensiya.

Kasabay nito, nanawagan si Senador Panfilo Lacson na mas palakasin ang partisipasyon ng pribadong sektor at mga lokal na pamahalaan sa naturang programa sa pamamagitan ng pagluluwag sa mga ito na makaangkat at maisagawa ang proseso ng pagbabakuna.

Ang kailangan lamang umano ay matiyak ang regular na koordinasyon ng mga ito sa mga mangangasiwa sa programa, ang Department of Health (DOH) at National Task Force Against COVID-19.

“One common mistake that every administration commits is treating the private sector as competitors through over-regulation instead of partners especially during the time of crisis such as this pandemic that we are confronting now,” banggit ni Lacson.

“Let’s face the reality that the private sector does not go through the same bureaucratic delays that their counterpart in the public sector suffers from,” obserbasyon ng mambabatas.

Related: Lacson Pushes Greater Private Sector, LGU Participation in Vaccination Program

Ang pagtrato sa pribadong sektor at mga lokal na pamahalaan bilang katuwang sa pagbabakuna laban sa COVID-19 ay isiniwalat ni Lacson sa kanyang interpelasyon sa panukalang COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 na minamadali ng Senado.

Pinuna din ng mambabatas ang Section 5 ng nabanggit na panukala na nagsasaad na hindi maaaring makakuha ng mas maayos na kasunduan ang pribadong sektor sa mga pag-aangkatan ng bakuna kumpara sa mga nasa pamahalaan.

“If we allow the private sector to go ahead and procure vaccines and administer vaccines, it would accelerate further the rollout and accomplishment of our vaccination program,” paliwanag ng mambabatas.

Ginawang halimbawa ng mambabatas ang isang ulat sa Straits Times kung saan pinayagan ng pamahalaan ng Indonesia ang pribadong sektor na tumulong sa pagbabakuna upang mas maging mabilis na maabot ang herd immunity.

“This is with safeguards of course, with close coordination with the national government particularly the NTF and DOH. The point is, we have the same target population. Why not be partners in our vaccination program? I don’t think we’ll lose much, we’ll gain more if we allow the private sector to help,” ayon pa kay Lacson.

Si Lacson ay may personal nang karanasan sa maayos na resulta ng partisipasyon ng pribadong sektor sa pagresolba ng pamahalaan sa nararanasang krisis nang siya ay maitalaga bilang Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery sa ilalim ng Aquino administration para sa rehabilitasyon ng mga tinamaan ng bagyong Yolanda.

“Right after I took my oath on December 10, 2013, I was told to attend the full cabinet meeting to formulate the government’s strategic plan contained in the Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda (RAY). While reading through the draft of RAY, no mention was made on the private sector participation, which I asked to be reconsidered. As it turned out, the private sector contributed so much and with such speed and efficiency that greatly helped alleviate the suffering of our countrymen in the 171 cities and municipalities devastated by Typhoon Yolanda,” pagbabalik-tanaw ng mambabatas.

Nagtaka din ang mambabatas sa Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) na inisyu ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sa Sinovac, pero pagkatapos na pagkatapos ay nagbaba ng rekomendasyon na huwag itong gamitin ng frontliners sa larangan ng kalusugan.

“It’s like a chef who refuses to eat the food he just cooked because it is not good, but which he serves to the customers. How can a vaccinator convince the one that he is about to inoculate if he/she himself/herself is being discouraged by the government to use the Sinovac vaccine? This raises more questions and issues than what the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 is already busy grappling with,” banggit ng mambabatas.

*****