FOLLOWING the success of the first “A Dose of Hope” project which secured 2.6 million doses of vaccine to the country, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, Country President of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines Inc. LotisRamin, Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, and Ambassador Daniel Pruce of the British Embassy, headed the signing of the second wave that consolidated a total of 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the country. Around 300 private sector donors and the 39 LGUs that procured the AstraZeneca vaccine also joined the monumental signing.
“I like to thank first Secretary Charlie Galvez. Without your support, this tripartite agreement would have not been possible. Also, I like to thank the CEO of AstraZeneca, LotisRamin. Without your doses, we will not be here today to sign the agreement. We admire your company and your patriotism. These vaccines are really the way forward in helping our Filipino save lives and livelihood. Ambassador Pruce for all your efforts in forging this partnership and helping the negotiations move forward. And the private sector, our donors. The first batch was about 35 of the conglomerates who supported the program, and in the second batch, around 300 companies supported the program. And of course, our LGUs, who are now part of the Dose of Hope, 39 of them,” Concepcion forwarded.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, national recovery is within sight. As we bounce back and heal as one, I commend the business community and the LGUs for your ramping of support for our nation’s fight against COVID-19…You have my full support. Together, we can ensure a safe, sure, and secure roll-out of our National Immunization Program. Today, let us reaffirm our vow to ourselves and renew our guarantee to the people…A tripartite agreement is a true showcase of unity of purpose and principled partnership benefiting our public – this is Bayanihan at work,” President Duterte expressed.
This initiative is not only ‘A Dose of Hope’, but ‘A Pound of Inspiration’ that will help us realize our collective goal of inoculating 50-70 million Filipinos this year. We acknowledge the crucial role of our LGUs and the private sector has played in our National Immunization Program. With your continued support, we will be able to identify, validate, and respond to the needs of our priority beneficiaries…This tripartite agreement is a symbol of the Duterte’s Administration’s resolve, that no one will be left behind,” Secretary Galvez stated.
“AstraZeneca is proud to support the Philippine government’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy and recovery program. We are inspired by the multi-sectoral initiatives to secure close to 17 million doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca as we work together in reaching millions of Filipinos. Guided by AstraZeneca’s no profit and equitable distribution model, we will continue to engage with government and multilateral organizations to ensure broad and equitable access to the vaccine at no profit for the duration of the pandemic,” Ramin forwarded.
“I am absolutely delighted that AstraZeneca, in partnership with so many local government units and members of the private sector, and with the support of the Government of the Philippines, will be able to supply a significant amount of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine later this year. The British government supported the research at the University of Oxford which led to this vaccine – and we are proud that our scientific community was able to deliver this important contribution to the global effort to fight the coronavirus,” Ambassador Pruce expressed.
With the Local Chief Executives from participating LGUs gracing the program, these efforts of procuring the vaccines provided hope for their constituents. Some of the mayors that joined this initiative include Mayor Sara Duterte, Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, Mayor Rex Gatchalian, Mayor Joy Belmonte, Mayor Francis Zamora, Mayor Toby Tiangco, Mayor April Aguilar-Nery, Mayor Abby Binay, Mayor Carmelita Abalos, Mayor Edwin Olivarez, Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, Mayor Oscar Malapitan, Mayor Isko Moreno, Mayor Vico Sotto, and Tracing Czar Mayor BenjieMagalong, among others.
“Thank you to the President and to Secretary Galvez for allowing the LGUs to be part of this tripartite agreement and forge one of the best private-partnerships that I’ve seen achieve a common goal – bringing the vaccine to the Philippines, especially at times like this. Moving forward, we hope that AstraZeneca will continue to support us as we know the demand for vaccines, especially coming from LGUs and the private sector, is quite immense. The Philippines definitely will not be left behind in this fight,” said Concepcion.
The signing secured around 15 million doses of vaccines – almost 3 million doses of donations from the private sector and around 12 million doses procured by the LGUs. All in all, including the first wave of donations, ‘A Dose of Hope’ have consolidated a total of 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the country.
The session was moderated by Josephine Romero, Go Negosyo Senior Adviser and A Dose of Hope Program Lead.
