The mystery shrouding the prices of the various vaccines procured by the government was compounded by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez’s admission that suppliers insisted on a “non-disclosure clause” or else “they will not sell to the government.”

Dominguez made this admission upon the inquiry of Rep. Edcel C. Lagman during today’s budget briefing by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).

Dominguez further claimed that the government was constrained to agree to the condition imposed by the suppliers.

Lagman said that the oversight function of the Congress on how funds appropriated for the purchase of vaccines are utilized includes the government’s submission on how much the purchase of vaccines amounted to.

If private companies and the private sector disclose the total amounts they have allocated for the purchase of the subject vaccines, why can’t the government do the same for purposes of accountability and transparency, Lagman added.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN