𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗖𝗞-𝗢𝗨𝗧: 𝗖𝗮𝘆𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗢𝗛 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano came out swinging during the DOH’s 2026 budget debate, hammering the agency for chronic delays in vaccine delivery and warning that if Secretary Ted Herbosa cannot guarantee timely rollout next year, “let’s get a secretary who can.” Cayetano revealed that flu vaccines—normally administered worldwide by March or April—still hadn’t arrived as of November 26, rendering them useless by their December 31 expiry. Routine childhood vaccines, he added, were also delayed or insufficient. “Cambodia and Laos aren’t late with vaccines. Why is the Philippines always late?” he said.

Sen. Pia Cayetano, defending the DOH budget, admitted the issue stemmed from major procurement failures, intense bidder competition, and internal mismanagement—enough for Herbosa to fire the department’s procurement head. She also confirmed that vaccines expected as early as April will only arrive in December, though she noted the incoming doses have updated formulations for next year’s strains. The DOH plans to shift to a framework contract system to prevent repeat delays, but the minority leader said it’s unacceptable that the department still cannot commit to a timely rollout in 2026.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo added more heat, grilling the DOH for billions worth of medicines expiring in warehouses while seniors and low-income communities go without. DOH explained that Mandanas-driven devolution restricts its ability to distribute medicines outside disaster response, but lawmakers said the policy gap needs urgent fixing. As the punches landed from all sides, the message was clear: the DOH is on the ropes, and senators want a full systems overhaul before another year of delays costs more lives.

Image from Senate of the PH FB