The Upper Chamber of Congress has approved on third and final reading Senate Bill 2057 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, a copy of which has already been adopted by the House of Representatives.
The bill will no longer undergo bicameral conference committee and can be directly submitted to the office of President Rodrigo Duterte for his signature.
“Ang bola po ay nasa korte ng ehekutibo (The ball is now with the executive), so we hope now there will be no hindrance in the coming of the vaccines and the implementation,” Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said.
The proposed law plays provides for the establishment of the National Vaccine Indemnity Fund or the assistance to be given to vaccine beneficiaries who might suffer adverse effects. Both houses of Congress have agreed to allocate ₱500 million for the fund which will be shouldered by PhilHealth and sourced from contingent fund.
The bill will also seeks to create COVID-19 vaccine cards under the supervision of the Department of Health (DOH). This will include basic information of a vaccine recipient and the type of vaccine that will be administered. – Report from Daniel Manalastas
