P45-B COVID-19 booster shots budget under ‘unprogrammed funds’ questioned
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was questioned on the why the procurement of COVID-19 booster shots was listed under the “unprogrammed funds” in the start of the House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap, deliberation on the proposed P5.024 trillion national budget for 2022.
Marikina City Representative Stella noted the proposed P45 billion funds for boosters.
Quimbo said if a budget allocation is placed under “unprogrammed appropriations,” it will only be funded if the government is able to raise enough money for it.
The first day of the budget hearing was focused on the macroeconomic assumptions on next year’s budget of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC — composed of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
“So in case na hindi natin makamit ang growth na expected at hindi natin makamit ang revenue collection na expected, ang isa sa pinaka-matatamaan ay ang COVID-19 vaccines na pinagtatakahan ko na para bang chicken or egg situation,” Quimbo said.
The lawmaker stressed that for the economy to recover, herd immunity or more Filipinos should be vaccinated against the virus this year and until next year.
“Kasi ang sinasabi natin na para tayo ay maka-recover economically, kailangan natin ng vaccine. Pero bakit nilagay natin sa unprogrammed ang COVID-19 [booster shots],” she added.
In response, the DBM officer-in-charge Usec. Tina Rose Marie Canda explained that there is separate funding for the COVID-19 vaccines itself however, on booster shots, she said that there is a need for the decision of the Department of Health (DOH) if it is required.
“Now for the P45 billion na nakalagay sa budget na yan is only for the booster shot in the absence of any definitive ruling from the DOH that it is a requirement at this point,” Canda said.
“Hindi namin siya binigyan dahil hindi pa namin sigurado kung talagang kailangan ‘yan kasi wala namang assurance na kailangan ‘yun,” she added.
But Canda assured Congress that the DOH has “sufficient” funds for vaccines.
The national government is allocating a total of P240 billion for the COVID-19 response, including P140 million for the Philippine Genome Center which sequences specimen to detect COVID-19 variants.
