SA halip na reward, ibigay na lang umano ni Pangulong Duterte ang ipinangako nitong P10 milyon para mapondohan ang research and development at public health programs ng gobyerno.
Ayon kay ACT Rep. France Castro paano makakahanap ng gamot sa coronavirus disease 2019 para makuha ang P10 milyong reward kung walang pondo para makapagsagawa ng research.
“President Duterte should instead immediately put this P10 million to research and development to aid scientists in their quest to find a vaccine to COVID-19. The Duterte administration continues to use military solutions to fight a worsening health crisis due to the state’s neglect to ensure enough funds for public health and research and development programs. This administration’s budget prioritization has left our health and research and development programs with annual budget cuts allowing our public health facilities to have limited capacities to stop the further spread of a virus such as COVID-19,” ani Castro.
Ngayong taon, ang budget umano ng Department of Science and Technology ay P20.27 bilyon samantalang ang Philippine Council for Health Research and Development na nasa ilalim ng DOST ay P642 milyon.
Ang budget naman ng Department of Health para sa Epidemiology and Surveillance Program ay P115,501,000 kalahati lang ng P262,997,000 budget nito noong 2019.
“Budget cuts of vital programs for public health made by the Duterte administration has led to a poor public health system that is not prepared for a pandemic such as COVID-19. The P10 million reward for the COVID-19 vaccine and the grants President Duterte has been floating should have been budgeted into the public health system and research and development before the pandemic happened.”