DAVAO CITY—Mindanao would ask the national government to allow them direct shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from source countries to an identified city in Mindanao, which is most likely to be this city, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said.
This was one of the key points reached in an online forum among business, government and private organizations to tackle a recovery plan after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department of Health (DOH), which joined the second Mindanao Economic Recovery Facilitation forum last April 21, said it would “make representations with the IATF [Interagency Task Force on Covid-19) so that imported vaccines will be shipped directly to Davao City instead of passing through the DOH facilities in Metro Manila.”
This would avoid double handling of the shipment and make faster for the roll out of the vaccine doses to the rest of Mindanao, the forum said.
“This week, MinDA will start communicating with the LGUs and private companies in Mindanao to determine the initial volume of vaccines, which would be bought with the assistance of DOH and IATF,” said Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, chairman of the MinDA, and who facilitated the forum.
Piñol said the Covid-19 Mindanao vaccination initiative has been identified as one of the critical components of Mindanao’s economic recovery.
The forum centers on a future initiative to buy the vaccines independent of what the national government has already targeted to buy from vaccine manufacturers.
Health Undersecretary Abdullah B. Dumama has confirmed the approval by the DOH in allowing the private sector and the local government units to buy vaccines for their employees.
“Dumama said the new guidelines now would allow LGU and private sector’ procurement of the vaccine but this initiative was impeded by the need to consolidate the volume of the vaccines to be imported,” Piñol said.
The Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City has the capability of storing the vaccines, which would be imported, he added. The SPMC is the country’s largest government hospital.
Among the other points agreed by participants in the Mindanao Covid-19 vaccination initiative were: the Mindanao vaccination program would be supervised by the DOH and the IATF; MinDA will serve as the lead convener for LGUs and private companies that would participate in the program; and, the procurement of the vaccines would be funded fully by the LGUs and the private companies.
Also, MinDA would act as the consolidator and facilitator of the importation of the vaccine “to ensure that the volume required by the exporters would be met.” MinDA would, likewise, provide assistance to LGUs, which are not financially capable to procure the vaccines, to avail of loan funds from financing institutions.
During the first leg of the Mindanao Economic Recovery Forum, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked government for guidelines on how to initiate a Covid-19 vaccination program involving the LGUs and the private sector so that economic activities could be restarted.
“The massive vaccination campaign has largely been concentrated in Metro Manila where Covid-19 cases have increased over the last few months. With less than one million individuals, including front liners, inoculated in Mindanao, the issue was raised by the private sector during the first leg of the forum,” Piñol said.
The forum has formed the Mindanao Economic Recovery Facilitation Council (MERFC) from among government agencies and the private sector to facilitate Mindanao’s economic recovery and to address issues and concerns that impede the region’s return to normalcy.
The MERFC would serve as the cog to focus all efforts toward a common objective, Piñol said.