Justice Carpio explains why the Philippine government had not yet purchased Western COVID‑19 vaccines by April 2021, analyzing legal misconceptions about advance payments, unsigned procurement contracts, and policy missteps that impeded access to vaccine supplies.
Justice Carpio explains why both accelerated COVID‑19 vaccination and targeted economic stimulus are essential for the Philippines’ recovery, critiques barriers to vaccine procurement, and outlines measures to avoid stimulus fund leakage.
Justice Carpio criticizes the President’s “no vaccine, no VFA” ultimatum linking U.S. vaccine delivery to the Visiting Forces Agreement, explaining how advance payment mechanisms and misreading of procurement law undermine access to Western COVID-19 vaccines and risk geopolitical leverage.