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Senate Committee of the Whole to look into Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination plan

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/10/14/vaccine.jpg"/><figcaption>A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a &quot;Vaccine COVID-19&quot; sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. <em>Dado Ruvic, Reuters/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Senate on Monday agreed to convene as a Committee of the Whole to look into the executive branch&#x27;s plan for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines next year.</p><p>Officials involved in the mass immunization program against COVID-19 need to discuss their plans and &quot;specific deliverables&quot; with lawmakers since Congress is the branch authorized to fund the purchase of the vaccines, Pangilinan said in his privilege speech in plenary.</p><p>&quot;The fact that senators are pretty much in the dark as to the game plan does not bode well for transparency and accountability in the vaccine rollout,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Transparency in the process is key if there is to be public trust in a rollout and without the public’s trust, a program of this magnitude will not succeed,&quot; he added.</p><p>Opposition Sen. Rosa Hontiveros added that executive branch officials should also give details about other interventions the government has against the pandemic.</p><p>&quot;Vaccine is a key response to the pandemic but it must be supported by a package of interventions,&quot; she said.</p><p>Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon backed Pangilinan&#x27;s call to look into the matter through a Committee of the Whole hearing, noting that senators were not invited to a &quot;vaccine summit&quot; happening this week.</p><p>&quot;This is beyond the purview of the Committee on Health and is more appropriate for the Committee of the Whole given this very important issue that confronts us,&quot; he said.</p><p>All senators are deemed members of the Committee of the Whole, thereby giving each legislator the power to vote for or against motions raised during the hearing.</p><p>Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri agreed with the proposition raised by opposition senators, &quot;critical for the population to know... if we are ready to distribute these vaccines especially on the logistical side.&quot;</p><p>Drilon pushed to have the Committee of the Whole hearing on December 21, but Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said it may be better to summon officials in charge of the COVID-19 vaccination program early next year.</p><p>&quot;Maybe if we give them a month more, there will be more of a game plan that we can discuss come January&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;As discussed in the budget [deliberations], things are still very fluid,&quot; he said.</p><p>Senate President Vicente Sotto III - who presides over Committee of the Whole hearings - said he would decide on the day of the proceedings after assessing information discussed during the vaccine summit this week.</p><p>Congress earmarked P72.5 billion for COVID-19 vaccines under the 2021 national budget.</p><p>President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to sign the P4.5-trillion spending measure, seen as a budget that would help the Philippines recover from the health crisis that has forced the country into recession this year.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/09/20/covid-19-vaccine-fund-slashed-by-nearly-p10b-in-2021-budget">Dropped amendment cuts COVID-19 vaccine funding by nearly P10B in 2021 budget</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nh7jP3ZN5qA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>MANILA - The Senate on Monday agreed to convene as a Committee of the Whole to look into the executive branch's plan for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines next year.</p>

MANILA - The Senate on Monday agreed to convene as a Committee of the Whole to look into the executive branch's plan for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines next year.

Senate Committee of the Whole to look into Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination plan

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Senate Committee of the Whole to look into Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination plan

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 14, 2020 10:17 PM PHT

Read More:

Kiko Pangilinan

Senate

COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19

global pandemic

health

mass immunization

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