House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez on Friday lauded the administration of US President Joe Biden’s support to international efforts suspending intellectual property protection rules for COVID-19 vaccines.
Romualdez, representative of Leyte, called it a moral move “as this will ensure humankind’s survival.”
“The news that the United States is supporting international efforts to suspend patent rules for COVID-19 vaccines is a welcome development. Waiving intellectual property protections for vaccines during a pandemic is not only morally right. Any move that will fast-track the development, production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in every part of the globe will ensure our survival as aspecies,” Romualdez said.
“In the age of pandemic, world leaders now agree that nobody is safe until everyone is safe,” he added.
The chair of the House Committee on Rules also called on Philippine health officials to closely watch and actively participate in global discussions on the campaign for waiving patent rules for COVID-19 vaccines.
“Let us be proactive and engage vaccine manufacturers in negotiations on how to avail of these patents for the Philippines. Procrastination in the time of crisis is unacceptable,” the president of the Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) said.
Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), also cited the need to support not just the waiving of patent protection for vaccines but also sufficient funding for researchers, medical experts, and health workers.
“Our country is not bereft of brilliant researchers and practitioners in the medical field. Filipino health experts are at par with the best of the world. What they need is support and funding from the government and from private donors,” the lawmaker said.
“It is time that we act in unison towards the same direction. Get the patent for COVID-19 vaccine. Mobilize funding support for the production of vaccines here in the Philippines. Make these vaccines free to Filipinos,” Romualdez added.