President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, which would fast-track the procurement and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines.

The law has also established a Php 500-million indemnification fund, which provides extensive coverage for any Filipino who experiences severe side effects after taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

The signing came after Congress no longer convened a bicameral conference committee since Senate Bill 2057 or the proposed Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act passed by the Senate on Feb. 23 was adopted by the House of Representatives on the same day.

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The law tasks the Department of Health and the National Task Force Against Covid-19 to supervise the negotiated purchase of Covid-19 vaccines, as well as the needed supplies and services for their storage, transport, and distribution, as per reports from the Philippine News Agency.

It also authorizes local government units (LGUs) to procure Covid-19 vaccines and needed supplies and services.

Private firms, the law states, are also allowed to purchase vaccines, subject to similar restrictions and conditions set for LGUs and only for their sole and exclusive use.

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The Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act also provides that the procurement, importation, donation, storage, transport, deployment, and administration of Covid-19 vaccines will be exempted from customs duties, value-added tax, excise tax, and other fees.

The fund will be sourced from the 2021 national budget’s Contingent Fund and administered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

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