Duterte orders vaccine czar to disclose deal details to Senate

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to disclose COVID-19 vaccine deal details to Senate President Vicente Sotto III for transparency.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go confirmed the directive, which came after senators questioned the refusal of executive officials to reveal vaccine prices during a legislative inquiry.

Galvez had previously cited confidentiality disclosure agreements (CDAs) with manufacturers, warning that disclosing prices could jeopardize the acquisition of 148 million vaccine doses.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra supports transparency but acknowledged that some commercial terms might require non-disclosure.

However, Senate President Vicente Sotto III confirmed that Galvez is obligated to keep mum on vaccine costs due to international non-disclosure agreements mandated by pharma companies.

Sotto was convinced by Galvez, who assured that the agreements ensure no room for overpricing as payments go directly to pharma companies with proper safeguards.

Despite these assurances, the Senate Committee of the Whole is scheduled to hold another hearing on Friday regarding the vaccine rollout.