"Hindi nga namin maintindihan kung bakit kami ang sinisisi."
Dr. Marita Tolentino-Reyes, chairperson of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC), remarked after she and her colleagues drew flak over the controversy caused by the expiration of more than 31 million vaccine doses against the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
Reyes stressed on Tuesday, November 29, that HTAC has no hand on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the Philippines.
"Wala naman kaming katungkulan tungkol sa pagbibigay ng mga booster, kung kanino ibibigay, kung saan ibibigay, kung gaano karami ang i-order," Reyes said during DZRH's Magandang Umaga Pilipinas.
Reyes explained that HTAC only makes recommendations to the Department of Health (DOH) for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
She said that HTAC reviewed the efficacy, safety and affordability of all available vaccines against COVID-19 before making a recommendation to the DOH.
"Kami ay nagsasabi lamang kung ano ba ang karapat-dapat na ibigay; kung ano ba yung kaya, mabisa, ano yung ligtas, ano yung kayang bayaran ng gobyerno, ano yung kayang iparating sa malalayong lugar," Reyes said.
"Nagbigay gabay ang HTAC sa DOH kung ano ang pwedeng bilhin," she added.
Reyes also clarified that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to issue an emergency use authoritzation (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine first before the HTAC can make a recommendation.
"Kapag may plano na bilhin ang gobyerno o pribado na kasama sa tripartite (agreement), pag-aaralan ng FDA, mag-issue sila ng EUA na tinatawag," Reyes said.
"Hindi makakapagbigay ang HTAC ng recommendation na walang emergency use authorization from FDA," she added.
Furthermore, Reyes clarified that HTAC does not oppose the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine booster jabs but insists that DOH should increase the number of people who received the primary doses.
"Kung mag-booster tayo agad na mababa ang uptake ng primary series, hindi ganoon kabisa ang protection," Reyes explained.
"Yung mga vaccine na pwedeng gamitin na booster ay ni-recommend na ng HTAC. Hindi binawalan ng HTAC na bumili para sa booster. Ang binigay lang ng HTAC ay paalala na mas palawakan yung primary series bago mag-booster," she stressed.
Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a former Health secretary, insists that HTAC should take a share of the blame for the expiration of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Garin accused HTAC of failing to provide recommendations to the DOH in a swift manner.
