AS he thanked local government units for showing initiative in working with the national government and securing vaccines for their constituents, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Friday, January 15, urged vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to formulate a process which will expedite the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by LGUs.
“Lahat po ay naglalaan na po ng pondo. You always have my full and unwavering support. Marami pa tayong mga oportunidad upang magtulungan,” Go said during a Senate hearing on the national vaccine roadmap.
“I urge Sec. Galvez to formulate a process which will expedite the vaccine procurement of LGUs and the private sector,” he urged.
Aside from LGUs, Go also thanked the private sector for its collaboration and initiatives to secure vaccines for the country.
“Malaki rin ang pasasalamat ko sa private sector at sa mga inisyatibo nito hinggil sa pag-secure ng vaccines para sa bansa. Kahapon po ay nagkaroon ng ceremonial signing para sa second batch ng private sector donation of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the government,” Go said, referring to the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Philippine government, local government units, private sector donors, and drug firm AstraZeneca for the procurement of seventeen million doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the ‘A Dose of Hope’ project.
“Your efforts are most welcome, and I thank the private sector because despite government’s own tireless efforts, government cannot do this alone, sa totoo lang po. We need a whole-of-nation approach to uplift the lives of all Filipinos amid these challenges,” he added.
The senator emphasized that the path towards recovery requires the effort of the entire country, including the cooperation and bayanihan of the Filipino public.
“Let me emphasize, we are all part of the solution to this public health issue. Therefore, we must (all) share the responsibility if we want to recover from this pandemic. Wala pong pinipili ang pandemyang ito,” Go said.
“Kakaikot ko po, napapansin ko po sa publiko — dapat kunin natin ang kumpiyansa ng taumbayan. Lahat tayo, apektado nito, lalaki man o babae, bata man o matanda, mayaman man o mahirap, anumang relihiyon, anuman ang inyong pulitika, saan ka man sa Pilipinas, talagang tinamaan po tayo sa pandemyang ito,” he added.
Urging Filipinos to continue following health measures and requesting for cooperation even from government detractors, Go said that “a nation that is united” has a higher chance of surviving the pandemic.
“Let us work together and do our part. History has proven time and time again that, in these times of crises, a nation that is united has a higher chance of survival,” Go said.
“Alam ko po na lahat tayo ay pagod na sa sitwasyong ito na dulot ng pandemya. Alam po ito ng gobyerno. Kaya naman po hindi tayo tumitigil para matuldukan na ang mga banta ng COVID-19 at maibalik na natin sa normal ang ating mga pamumuhay,” he added.
