Senate hearings on the country’s vaccination program “broke the pattern of overpricing” in various Covid-related products, including the price of the Sinovac vaccine, Senator Kiko Pangilinan said Monday.

“Palagay ko ang nangyari diyan: Nung binusisi ng Senado — dahil tayo po ang nag-deliver ng privilege speech at humingi ng Committee of the Whole hearing noong December — noong binusisi eh yun dahil dun at dahil sa mga tanong ng senador ay napababa na ang presyo,” he said in a media interview.

“Dati 3,600 at yun ay galing sa Department of Health mismo. Hindi naman sa amin galing yan, sinumite yan ng budget debate last December. So yun ang isang magandang resulta nitong pagbubusisi ng Senado, pinababa yung presyo nung Sinovac,” he added.

Pangilinan said the pattern of overpriced Covid-related products has been thwarted in previous Senate hearings.

“Alam mo dati nang may mga overprice diyan sa Department of Health. Hindi ba noong umpisa ng Covid, yung mga testing machine si Senator [Ping] Lacson pa nga ang nag-expose niyan — overpriced. Pati yung testing kit. Ang sinisingil ng PhilHealth eh halos 9,000 pero doon sa Red Cross eh wala pang 4,000. Kaya nung nabulatlat ito sa Senado sa Committee of the Whole hearing noon, biglang bumagsak ang presyo nung testing kit at ng testing ng PhilHealth. So palagay ko yun din [nangyari dito],” he said.

“Palagay ko ang mayroong nag-iisip na maaaring kumita kaya mataas yung presyo noong una at yun ang sinumite. Tapos noong binusisi na at nabulatlat na eh yon, medyo nabisto yung halaga bakit ganoon kamahal, ayun nagkaroon ngayon ng adjustment kaya mababa na ngayon,” he added.

Lacson, in a privilege speech Monday, agreed that Pangilinan’s resolution that led to the committee of the whole hearings helped expose the seeming overprice of Sinovac.

Pangilinan said decisions on the choice of vaccines should be made on the basis of science.

He pointed out that efficacy and safety should be the priority, highlighting the significance of relying on medical experts.

“Yung FDA, yung mga eksperto, yung mga scientist, yung nakakaalam dito sa usapin ng efficacy at safety, sila yung pakikinggan natin at hintayin ang kanilang pasya. Hindi political goodwill ang basehan ng roll-out ng vaccine, dapat science, dapat datos, dapat yung mga eksperto,” Pangilinan said.