By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
THE “AstraZeneca brouhaha” in Bacolod City last week really “entertained” Bacolodnons. It even triggered a “media fiesta”. The quotable quotes employed by both camps of incumbent Mayor Albee Benitez and former mayor Bing Leonardia merited media attention.
But the question: Who overpowered who? Sin-o ang nausog kag ang nag-usog?
Here’s the chronology of events:
DAY 1: JULY 11, 2022 (MONDAY)
Mayor Albee held a press conference at the New Government Center (NGC).
Gist of the press con: The unused 434,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines procured by the city early last year, which are about to expire at the storage facility of the Department of Health (DOH) in Manila by the end of July.
The undelivered-slash-unused vaccines were part of the 650,000 doses ordered by the previous administration to ramp-up the city’s anti-COVID-19 vaccination. But only 216,000 were used.
Mayor Albee then told the media that an AstraZeneca representative approached him and asked for the balance of P98 million.
Bing’s administration, per record, already made P65-millionas initial payment.
However, Mayor Albee told the AstraZeneca agent: “You will have to excuse me, but I will try to the best of my ability not to pay.”
The media “feasted” on the phrase. Much more when the new mayor added: “It appears that the previous administration miscalculated its order for the vaccines.”
DAY 2: JULY 12, 2022 (TUESDAY)
Bing’s camp made a counter strike via a press release.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, Bing’s spokesman, said, “If Mayor Albee decides not to pay the balance, that’s his call. At the end of the day, he’ll be the one to deal with the pharmaceutical firm (now) as new chief executive.”
But he reminded the new mayor that the contract with AstraZeneca was tripartite between the city, national government represented both by the Department of Health (DOH) and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), and the said pharmaceutical firm.
Sorongon stressed no less than then President Rodrigo Duterte who coaxed cities and provinces to enter into tripartite pacts for the procurement of vaccines because, that time, there was limited supply worldwide.
Thus, 27 others cities and provinces in the country m ade similar tripartite deals with AstraZeneca, he capped.
DAY 3: JULY 13, 2022 (WEDNESDAY)
Media, especially the radio (AM and FM), tackled the controversy, comparing both Mayor Albee’s and Dr. Sorongon’s gainsaying claims.
Some dug deeper by using Republic Act (RA) 11525 or the “The COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021” as a potent reference to somehow balance the issue.
RA 11525 states that local government units have been authorized to procure the vaccines in cooperation with the national government through the DOH and National Task Force on COVID-19 in a tripartite agreement with pharmaceutical companies.
Then, both the DOH and IATF were on top of the situation, especially on vaccine delivery/distribution.
Thus, known political luminaries in Bacolod chorused: “If Mayor Albee sues ex-mayor Bing, he might as well include former Health secretary Francisco Duque III, former IATF chairman Carlito Galvez and former President Duterte.”
DAY 4: JULY 14, 2022 (THURSDAY)
Atty. Bong held another press conference at the NGC. Sense of the press con: An alleged missing contract.
Amplifying his cause against Dr. Sorongon’s claim, Atty. Bong enunciated: “Where is the contract? What’s presented to us is merely a draft? So, how can we pay the people’s money on a supposed contractual obligation when there’s no original contract to support?”
To further “titivate” his assertion, he told the media: “This would be highly controversial or if not, we would not be standing on very strong ground.”
But just minutes after Atty. Bong’s press con, as usual, the Bing’s camp hurriedly issued also an ala “bazooka” rebuttal.
The doctor (Sorongon) told the lawyer (Atty. Bong): “It is common sense in local governance where to find such documents.”
The copy of the same contract, Sorongon stressed, may also be secured from the city’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) or he (Atty. Bong) can even write AstraZeneca for a copy.
DAY 5: JULY 15, 2022 (FRIDAY)
In an “ambush interview” at the NGC, Mayor Albee was “necessitated” to answer these questions: Have you seen the copy of the contract? Is it really missing as what Atty. Bong claimed?
Then, there’s a sudden “change of tone” from the mayor.
And confessed by him: “We were given a copy (yesterday). We are now looking into it. It was given by Astra. Right now, it’s under study.”
What’ll be his next move?
“We’ll see what can be done but, definitely, since it’s a tripartite arrangement, we’ll seek national government assistance in terms of settling this account. I’ll decide accordingly on what’s best for Bacolod.”
CERTAINTY IS THE KEY
Question: Whose “bazooka” was a dud or “tugalpo” in local parlance?
Well, lesson learned from this “AstraZeneca brouhaha” is just simple: Certainty is the key!
In any exposé, it is incumbent upon the “gunner” to see to it that his/her pieces of evidence against someone must be probative. Boomeranging is “quite dangerous”. A rightful attestation thru tangible proof(s) matters most. Too, the importance of evidence and its ubiquity is “sine qua non”.
Nonetheless, let’s ponder on this prized quote by known WordPress developer Bradley B. Dalina: “The one who gain advantage by destroying others will never find true happiness and success!”
Or be guided by what the Bible is saying (in Ephesians 4:31-32): “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”/PN
