The House of Representatives will also kick off its own investigation on the problem-riddled coronavirus vaccination plan of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement on Thursday, January 14, House committee on health chair Helen Tan said her panel will be launching their probe on the COVID-19 immunization program next Monday, January 18. 

“There have been a lot of differing opinions, mostly from non-medical experts, regarding government-procured vaccines. As such, we would like to hear from the experts themselves to determine facts and figures from a scientific point of view,” Tan said. 

“Congress will do what it can to help government agencies in arresting the pandemic,” added the physician turned lawmaker. 

The health panel announced the conduct of its probe after the bloc of ousted speak Alan Peter Cayetano accused the Velasco-led House of failing to do its part in hastening the vaccine procurement for Filipinos.

Among those the House panel is inviting to the investigation are Philippine vaccine czar and National Task Force COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and other government officials and medical experts. 

The progressive Makabayan bloc earlier called for a House probe into the Presidential Security Group for using smuggled coronavirus vaccines despite President Rodrigo Duterte barring his security aides from divulging information on the matter.

But Tan said their deliberations will focus on two other resolutions filed by Parañaque City 2nd District Representative Joy Tambunting and Sultan Kudarat 1st District Representative Princess Rihan Sakaluran. 

Both resolutions want a congressional inquiry to shed light on the Duterte government’s comprehensive plan and to ensure there would be a fair and equal distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.

It remains to be seen if the Makabayan bloc would be allowed to throw questions into the PSG’s use of the illegal vaccines during the hearing.

The Duterte administration is still scrambling to finalize deals with pharmaceutical companies to secure enough COVID-19 vaccines for all Filipinos.

This has forced mayors nationwide to work overtime to ink deals with vaccine developers for their respective localities.

The Senate committee of the whole has already started its own probe into the national COVID-19 vaccination program last Monday, January 11.

During the hearing, senators were frustrated by the pace of vaccine negotiations and floated proposals to allow local governments and private groups the leeway to deal directly with manufacturers. – Rappler.com