Galvez confident in vaccine funds, Drilon suggests realigning anti-insurgency budget

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. expressed confidence on Wednesday that the Philippine government has sufficient funds for procuring COVID-19 vaccines, citing allocations in Bayanihan 2 and potential assistance from international organizations.

Galvez mentioned a P10 billion allocation in Bayanihan 2 for testing and vaccine procurement, and noted discussions with the World Bank about multilateral engagements to purchase vaccines.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon suggested on Tuesday that realigning the country's anti-insurgency fund could cover initial immunization costs without borrowing $9 billion from the World Bank.

Drilon estimated that vaccinating 25 million Filipinos would require around P12.5 billion, noting that the 2021 anti-insurgency fund is P19 billion.