Speaker Lord Allan Velasco filed a bill seeking to speed up the purchase and administration of COVID-19 vaccines by giving the authority of local government units (LGUs) to buy life-saving shots directly from manufacturers without having to go through the lengthy public bidding process.

Velasco’s House Bill 8648, or the proposed Emergency Vaccine Procurement Act of 2021, received bipartisan support as Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano co-authored the measure.

The bill provides for exemptions from compliance by LGUs with the procurement requirements of the Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and other much-needed supplies during the pandemic.

“Time is of the essence. Each day of delay is very costly for the government, and leaves many of our vulnerable countrymen exposed to the dangers of this disease,” Velasco said.

He said the critical battle against COVID-19 was the vaccine process of a large part of the population to achieve herd immunity and return to normal, adding that the world could no longer sustain economic losses owing to any more constraints on economic development.

Under HB 8648, the requirement laid down in the Universal Health Care Law for Phase IV trials of COVID-19 medication and vaccine is waived to speed up the procurement of such medication and vaccine, provided that the World Health Organization and other internationally recognized health agencies recommend and approve it.

Furthermore, the procurement, importation, storage, transport, distribution and administration by local government units of COVID-19 vaccines shall be exempt from customs duties, value added tax, excise tax and other charges, provided that the vaccines acquired are used only for the residents and constituents of the vaccine and not for commercial distribution.