City gov’t reviews vaccine purchase deal with AstraZeneca

Mayor Benitez says won’t pay for vaccines not received

The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) is reviewing the local government’s vaccine purchase agreement with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines Inc. after the manufacturer asked for payment for the remaining 434,000 doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines that the city has not officially received.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said a representative of AstraZeneca met with him recently requesting the city government to pay the balance of P98 million.

“That’s what we’re studying. I’m asking the CLO right now to check the contract, the purchase agreement,” he told reporters.

Initially, the city government had paid AstraZeneca P65 million as part of the purchase agreement.
Benitez, however, said his stand is not to pay for the remaining vaccines.

“I have told the representative of AstraZeneca that, ‘You will have to excuse me, I will try to the best of my ability not to pay you,’” he said.

“We will see how it goes, but I would rather put that money somewhere else, which can be used by the people,” the mayor added.

The previous administration under Mayor Evelio Leonardia bought 650,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca, of which 216,000 doses have been received and fully used by the city government along with the other brands provided by the national government.

Benitez said the manufacturer informed him that the 434,000 doses were delivered to the Department of Health (DOH) last year, but the city government refused to accept the vaccines since Bacolod exceeded its target vaccination coverage rate.

“The problem is, the vaccines only have a life span of six months and more than 300,000 are already expired,” he added.

Bacolod City, which is currently under Alert Level 1, has vaccinated more than the target set by the DOH, hitting an average 146 percent level among the adult population.* (Nanette Guadalquiver)