by Jovelyn Cullado
The Mega vaccination hub that is under construction at Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) grounds gives hope that Filipinos can be saved from the deadly infection of COVID-19. Not only will it provide a site for vaccination in the National Capital Region (NCR), it will also function as a storage facility for vaccines. However, there are lapses that make the ongoing construction of this site problematic.
The Philippines started its vaccination program last March. However, as of May 30, there are only over 5 million Filipinos who are vaccinated.
Despite the vaccination rollout, COVID-19 cases continue to balloon in the country. Though lockdowns and necessary precautions are implemented and monitored, new infections are still inevitable, especially since the government has opened economic and business infrastructures.
Many provinces in the country were placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) and recently, the NCR Plus Bubble underwent MGCQ with modifications. The Department of Health (DOH) reported on June 6 that there are about 1.27 million cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 60,000 of them active.
The mega vaccination site proposes to accommodate 10,000-12,000 persons a day or 300,000 a month. According to Enrique Razon Jr., chairman of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) which is handling construction, it will be patterned to the inoculation centers of the United States.
It will also be used as cold storage for vaccines, especially Pfizer and Moderna which require temperatures below zero degrees celsius. Additionally, according to the foundation, it will take two months to construct the site.
But criticisms arose after NPF voiced their concerns. Led by Atty. Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto, they emphasized legal and environmental concerns that have caused the hub to be mired in controversy.
Violation of Law
"ICTSI[owned by Razon] being a private entity, it is thus imperative that any agreement , direct or indirect, to use the property must be scrutinized for reasonableness,” NPF said in a document addressed to the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).
This happened after critics asked NPF why they refused to allow the construction of the site. According to NPF, they cannot allow ICTSI because of its lack of plan for the construction of the site.
Under Presidential Decree No.1145, public properties must be utilized for public use. The NPF is against the construction of the hub because it seems without due consideration and evaluation.
Additionally, NPF inquired to Malacañang if the use of NPF grounds is legal since the Nayong Pilipino is a proclaimed cultural park under Executive Order No. 615 in 2007. They argued that the use of NPF land to construct a vaccination site would be a ‘technical malversation’ as stated in Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code.
We cannot question the need for vaccination sites, but without proper planning, private corporations could end up building on protected property. Regardless of the situation, any plan of action should abide by the law to protect people’s rights and property against the indue invasion of capitalists.
'Killing an Ecosystem'
Equally important to consider would be the killing of 500 trees in the NPF grounds should the vaccination hub be constructed there.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) said that prioritizing ipil-ipil trees over the lives of Filipinos is inappropriate. Even Razon called those who oppose the construction of the site "idiots.”
Malilong Isberto of NPF said that the Nayong Filipino grounds are within the Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), and are protected by Ramsar Convention. Different kinds of migratory birds pass through LPPCHEA.
NPF also hosts numerous species of plants that are important to the migratory birds and other animals that reside in the area. It is not only about ipil-ipil trees, but an entire ecosystem that will be killed at the expense of constructing a vaccination hub.
In a joint statement, environmental groups said that killing these trees should not be equated to protecting people’s lives.
"The question decision-makers need to be asking is not whether we should build the mega-vaccine center and cut the trees. The question is whether this is the kind of facility the country needs to make the vaccine accessible to more people," the groups said.
Inaccessible and impractical
Another matter is the construction of a site exclusive to the capital of the country, which would further centralize the vaccination rollout to mainly Manila. Only the nearby provinces will benefit from a vaccination hub, and the rest of the country will be left to wait in line.
It may be justifiable to build such a big site in a high risk area, but what about the vaccination centers prepared by the local government units? Are we saying that they cannot function as cold storage as claimed by Razon? More importantly, why not use the fund to improve the already existing vaccine sites and storage centers in LGUs?
Environmental groups also suggested the use of public property such as gymnasiums and schools as vaccination sites. A few weeks after the controversy, more schools and arenas were also used as vaccination hubs, making them perhaps the most convenient and accessible way for Filipinos to get vaccinated.
One also has to wonder why NPF land, of all places, was the site chosen. In an interview with Manila Bulletin, Malilong-Isberto said that the land “has no septage or sewerage system, no water or electricity connection, no toilets. Why would that be the ideal site for vaccination?”
We’re left to scratch our heads and wonder.
Another link in the chain of incompetence
Cases like these are not new. Over the past months, officials who have been assigned in the vaccine procurement and the management of COVID-19 have been criticized for their rash and inconsiderate actions.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III failed to secure 10 million doses of Pfizer doses, causing outrage in the Senate and the public. Then, DOH decided to procure 25 million Sinovac vaccines made by China regardless of its low efficacy rate and high price.
Just when everyone thought it couldn’t get any worse, now they’re planning on building a vaccination center despite environmental threats, potential legal violations, and public inaccessibility.
Indeed, the pandemic has exposed all the holes in our country’s system of governance. It has allowed us to pinpoint the lapses which further burden Filipinos.
And the worst part is it is likely not over. The mega vaccination hub is proof that the state has not learned from its past mistakes, and so chances are high that this issue will be followed by more disappointing mishaps. All we can really do is brace ourselves.
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